Japanese astronaut Koichi Wakata returned to earth today on the space shuttle Endeavour after spending 4 ½ months living in an orbiting space station. One of the experiments he conducted during his stay in space was to wear the same underwear for a whole month.

It was all part of a study to see how the J-Wear brand of Japanese underwear held up under such extreme conditions. It’s a new line of underwear (as well as shirts, pants and socks) that is “anti-bacterial, water-absorbent, odor-eliminating” and designed specifically for long space voyages where it would be impractical to pack a lot of clothing.

Wakata said the experiment seemed to be a success: “I wore them for about a month, and my station crew members never complained…so I think the experiment went fine.” Either that, or his colleagues are just extremely polite.

(“Please God, don’t let me pass out until after they snap this photo…”)

Now that Wakata’s back on earth, scientists will study the underwear that he wore to see how effectively it worked. I know it’s all for a good cause, but can you imagine being a part of that scientific team? You work hard and get your PhD and what do you end up doing with your life? Studying a pair of briefs that some dude wore for 30 days! Sometimes the life of a starving artist doesn’t seem so bad after all.

Read the whole story here.