Female astronaut McClain gains 2 INCHES in height on board ISS in 3 MONTHS

Staying in a microgravity environment makes you taller, as US astronaut Anne McClain attested to on her Twitter account. She said she gained two inches since her launch in December.

The height increase (unfortunately for some) is temporary and is caused by the spine straightening somewhat in the absence of gravity to counter.

The effect should not be overestimated too, as Japanese astronaut Norishige Kanai learned last year. He said he grew a whopping 9 cm (3.5 in) taller in space before admitting that his growth was blown out of proportion due to how it was measured. The actual height increase was less than an inch.

Anne McClain is in orbit with Russian space veteran Oleg Kononenko, the commander of the crew, and Canada’s David Saint-Jacques. Next week, they are to be joined by Aleksey Ovchinin, Nick Hague and Christina Koch.

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