A Japanese astronaut has sparked hilarity back on Earth after he claimed to have grown 9 centimeters in space, making him worried he would not squeeze into the capsule home.
Norishige Kanai, who is aboard the International Space Station, tweeted: “We had our bodies measured after reaching space, and wow, wow, wow, I had actually grown by as much as 9 centimeters (3.5 inches)!”
However, Kanai remeasured himself after a Russian colleague told him a 9 cm growth spurt was unlikely and his tall tale was corrected when he found out he had only grown by 2 cm.
He later tweeted apologies for what he described as “fake news.”
計測ミス（？）なのに、大変な話題になってしまったみたいで、とんだフェイクニュースを大変失礼しました。
腰や背中は痛くないし、むしろ肩こりがなくなったくらいなので、やっぱり9cmは伸びてないと思います。さすがベテランのシュカプレロフ飛行士。
帰りのソユーズにも乗れそうで、少し安心です。— 金井 宣茂 (@Astro_Kanai) January 9, 2018
“I’m a bit relieved as I’ll probably fit into the Soyuz back home,” he said.
Before finding the truth, Kanai expressed some worry on Twitter.
“I have grown like a plant in just three weeks,” he said, adding that he had not experienced a growth spurt like this since high school.
“I’m a bit worried whether I’ll fit in the Soyuz seat when I go back,” he said, prompting tens of thousands of reactions on social media.
One Japanese Twitter user identified as @KakeruTokyo said: “Can somebody please take me to space? I want to grow taller (sobbing).”
Another user, @junnu_pana6mana, tweeted: “Mr. Kanai, I envy you. I wonder if I could have had a different life if I were 10 centimeters taller?”
Standing 1.8 meters tall on Earth, Kanai is already considerably taller than the average Japanese man (1.71 meters).
Astronauts’ spines can extend in the zero gravity environment of space, making them slightly taller. This returns to normal when they arrive back on Earth.
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