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Do Astronauts grow taller while in Space?


Do Astronauts grow taller while in Space?

Astronauts in space can grow up to 3 percent taller during the time spent living in micro-gravity, NASA scientists say. That means that a 6-foot-tall person could gain as many as 2 inches while in orbit. Once the astronauts return to Earth, their height returns to normal after a few months.

But without gravity, the vertebrae will naturally expand slightly, causing a person to become taller. Typically, astronauts in space can grow up to three percent of their original height, but no more. Astronauts get a bit taller in space because of the disks of the spinal column: On Earth, the disks are slightly compressed due to gravity. In space, that compression is no longer present causing the disks to expand. The result: the spine lengthens, and the astronaut is taller.

In the same way, the spine elongates by up to three percent while humans travel in space. There is less gravity pushing down on the vertebrae, so they can stretch out - up to 7.6 centimeters. You will find that you're about a centimeter or two taller. That's not as much as astronauts change in space.

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