Most astronauts "grow" during protracted space missions because their spines extend in the absence of gravity, but the gains are usually limited to a couple of centimeters (inches) maximum and disappear once they are back on the ground.
The 41-year-old Kanai, who went to space last month for a nearly six-month mission, posted on Twitter on Monday that he had "a big announcement.""My height's been measured here in space and somehow, somehow, I've grown 9 cm! In only three weeks I've really shot up, something I haven't seen since high school," he tweeted."This makes me a little worried that I might not be able to fit in the Soyuz seats for our return."But a bit over a day later - and in the wake of a flurry of news stories - he apologized, saying that he'd measured himself after his captain raised questions about the apparent growth and he had stretched only 2 cm from his Earth-bound height."This mis-measurement appears to have become a big deal, so I must apologize for this terrible fake news," he tweeted, without explaining how the original miscalculation had occurred."It appears I can fit on the Soyuz, so I'm relieved." (Reporting by Elaine Lies; Editing by Michael Perry)Japanese astronaut apologizes for 'fake news' of height increase
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