Why do astronauts grow taller in space?
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Astronauts can grow up to 3% taller in space, roughly 5 cm (2 inches). On Earth, gravity squashes your spine a little all day; in orbit nothing presses down, so the spine stretches out. Back on Earth, gravity squishes astronauts back to their normal height. Scientists are still studying how much of that stretch comes from the soft discs between the bones.
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Transcript
- Sef I grew taller in space! Tiggy, look!
- Tiggy You did. Astronauts can grow up to 3% taller.
- Sef It's the space snacks, right?
- Tiggy No, it's your spine.
- Tiggy On Earth, gravity squashes it all day.
- Tiggy Up here, nothing presses down. So your spine stretches out.
- Sef So I stay this tall forever?
- Tiggy Sorry, Sef. Back on Earth, gravity squishes you back down.
Sources
- NASA: Spinal Ultrasound Investigation nasa.gov
- NASA: ISS Daily Summary Report, 4 Sep 2015 (SkinSuit) nasa.gov
- Canadian Space Agency: See why astronauts are taller in space asc-csa.gc.ca
- UC San Diego (EurekAlert!): For space station astronauts, spinal muscles shrink after months in space eurekalert.org
- Green & Scott (2018), Frontiers in Physiology: Spinal Health during Unloading and Reloading Associated with Spaceflight frontiersin.org
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