Norishige Kanai

Japanese astronaut Norishige Kanai, on a mission to the International Space Station, apologised on Wednesday for saying he had grown 9 cm (3.5 inches) while in space and expressing concern about whether he'd be safe on his return to Earth.

Japanese astronaut Norishige Kanai said on Twitter that he is 3-and-a-half inches taller since arriving at the International Space Station on Dec. 19. Weightlessness has that effect: Without gravitational force compressing the spine, vertebrae relax and temporarily expand, like a coiled spring unspooled from the top.

Japanese astronaut Norishige Kanai, on a mission to the International Space Station, apologised on Wednesday for saying he had grown 9 cm (3.5 inches) while in space and expressing concern about whether he'd be safe on his return to Earth.

Japanese astronaut Norishige Kanai said on Twitter that he is 3-and-a-half inches taller since arriving at the International Space Station on Dec. 19. Weightlessness has that effect: Without gravitational force compressing the spine, vertebrae relax and temporarily expand, like a coiled spring unspooled from the top.