Japanese astronaut fears he won't be able to return home because he's... getting taller
After 3 weeks working at the International Space Station (ISS), Japanese astronaut Norishige Kanai was 'shocked' to see his height increase by 8.89cm in the first measurement.
Japanese astronaut Norishige Kanai has been working at the International Space Station (ISS) since December 19, 2017.
According to ABC, astronaut Kanai arrived at the ISS on December 19. In his first tweet, he said that from the time he arrived at the space station until January 9, he had grown nearly 9 cm taller.
Mr. Kanai said that after arriving at the ISS, the entire crew will undergo a procedure to measure their weight and height. And the body measurements in the first measurement showed that he was 3.5 inches (8.89 cm) taller than when he was on the ground.
This information made Mr. Kanai a bit panicked because the Soyuz spacecraft - the ship that would take him back to the ground - had a height limit, so he was afraid that he might not be able to return home.
However, Mr. Kanai later remeasured himself and sent a correction stating that he was only 0.79 inches taller, not 3.5 inches as originally stated. He said that the initial measurement was an error and apologized for sending out the incorrect information.
However, it is a fact that astronauts will typically grow an average of 0.79 - 1.97 inches taller in space.
Former NASA astronaut Clayton Anderson said it was normal to grow taller in space. During his last space mission in April 2010, he said he grew 2 inches (5.08 cm).
NASA astronaut Clayton Anderson.
"On the ground, due to gravity, your spine is compressed. When you go into space, gravity is reduced so your body starts to expand," Anderson explains.
However, measuring height in space is also very difficult to be precise, Mr. Anderson explained. Accordingly, the person being measured will have to lie straight like a board, while another person will hold the person's legs to prevent them from flying up.Then a third person will measure the height of the person being held still.
According to the former NASA astronaut, it is very likely that the error in Mr. Kanai's first height measurement occurred in this situation.
So should we worry about difficulty returning to Earth? Mr. Anderson said there is no need to panic because after returning to Earth, everyone's spine will shrink back to its original state.
