With the funds earned from his months here and at other research facilities across the country, he had been supporting himself for years. One was here for his third NASA bed rest study. I was most intrigued by the veteran test subjects. Several gamers were drawn here because it serves as an ideal environment for escaping into the digital world without the usual responsibilities of daily life. They each had their reasons for being here: One was working on a novel while he earned enough money to buy his first motorcycle another had a baby on the way and wanted to put some extra cash away before the delivery date. As I wandered through the hospital wing, I saw my first glimpses of the other study participants. The space was small and sterile, but that would be of little importance once I was confined to my bed. Once the nurses took inventory of all my goods, thoroughly searched me for contraband, and confiscated the apple in my backpack, I took a look around what was to be my new home. On a tile above the doorway to my room was a list of foreboding advice: "Don't get too comfortable pooping at negative six degrees" and "Be careful who you let visit." Each is a 24-inch by 24-inch window into a mind just before rejoining the outside world. Over the past decade of bed rest studies, each test subject left one of these squares behind as a relic of their time here. Each was uniquely decorated: the Texas Longhorns logo next to a rendition of Dali's Meditative Rose, a space ship orbiting a yin-yang sign, a large plain blue dot, several crucifixes, and a slew of inspirational quotes. Hundreds of colorful tiles covered the hallway. Now, I was about to spend two and a half months bedridden, forbidden to sit up even to take a shit, and hoping that my body wouldn't fall apart completely.Īs I entered the hospital wing on my first day, the ceiling caught my eye. Just before joining the NASA study, I had finished my first Ironman race and was used to rigorous training every day. So I put my life on hold and flew to Houston two weeks later. But then I suddenly found myself with an empty schedule, an offer in hand, and a decision to make: Should I rush to find a new job or become a NASA lab rat? I decided that I needed a break. I had applied to the study a year earlier on a whim, assuming I'd never be chosen from the pool of 25,000 applicants and I'd never be able to halt my hectic life for 15 weeks. When I received an offer to join the NASA study the very next day, it seemed like nothing short of fate. Elizabeth first got interested in space after watching the movie Apollo 13 in 1996, and still wants to be an astronaut someday.Back in August, I was unexpectedly laid off from my artist manager gig. Elizabeth is also a post-secondary instructor in communications and science at several institutions since 2015 her experience includes developing and teaching an astronomy course at Canada's Algonquin College (with Indigenous content as well) to more than 1,000 students since 2020. in Space Studies from the University of North Dakota, a Bachelor of Journalism from Canada's Carleton University and a Bachelor of History from Canada's Athabasca University. Her latest book, " Why Am I Taller?", is co-written with astronaut Dave Williams. Elizabeth's reporting includes multiple exclusives with the White House and Office of the Vice-President of the United States, an exclusive conversation with aspiring space tourist (and NSYNC bassist) Lance Bass, speaking several times with the International Space Station, witnessing five human spaceflight launches on two continents, working inside a spacesuit, and participating in a simulated Mars mission. She was contributing writer for for 10 years before joining full-time. Elizabeth Howell (she/her), Ph.D., is a staff writer in the spaceflight channel since 2022 covering diversity, education and gaming as well.
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