On top of the daily pay, you are not running up utility, gasoline or shopping bills the way you would be at home. All food is provided. I can make more at my regular IT job, certainly… but the compensation is deeper than just the surface rate… AND, this was a chance to make a genuine contribution to the science of manned space-flight. Questions need to be answered before we’ll make it to Mars.

The dedicated and amazing scientists at NASA facilities are studying physiological aspects of what happens during weightlessness, and bedrest at a -6 degree angle mimics much of what happens to the skeletal, vascular and vestibular systems. This is not merely “lying around all day” for no reason; the microgravity study is very busy with testing… and you will not break your bones with normal activity afterward as many people think. My rehab was pretty short and within only a few months, I signed up for the lunar gravity study.

I went through STACKS of books I’d been meaning to read for years, also made some great friends, and we enjoyed games, arts & crafts, etc. Plus constant massages! The workers there line up movie nights, lectures by Johnson Space Center scientists; and the United Space Alliance even came to see us! I met two astronauts, an Apollo flight director, saw the Lunar Rover up close, and got some NASA t-shirts that are only available to employees. It was incredible. One of the best experiences of my life, and I’ll keep doing these as long as I keep qualifying.