In microgravity, the human spine lengthens by as much as five centimetres, and astronauts come home temporarily taller than when they left, before gravity compresses the column again within days of landing
Astronauts return from space temporarily taller due to spine lengthening in microgravity
Velocity timeline
How fast coverage is spreading — measured hourly from article rate × source diversity. How this works →
The brief
In microgravity, the human spine lengthens by as much as five centimetres.
Coverage from outlets including Space Daily, The Hindu, starlust.org, Iowa Capital Dispatch, and others, emphasizes that astronauts come home temporarily taller than when they left. This change occurs before gravity compresses the spine again within days of landing.
Further details on the effects of microgravity on the human body are being examined, including muscle and bone deterioration.
Synthesized by Newsylist from the headlines below under a strict no-invention contract. Updated just now.
Quick answers
What happens to the human spine in microgravity?
The human spine lengthens by as much as five centimetres.
What happens to astronauts' height after returning from space?
Astronauts come home temporarily taller than when they left.
How long does it take for the spine to return to normal after returning to Earth?
Within days of landing, gravity compresses the column again.
Coverage (5)
- What happens to our body in space? The Hindu · 14h ago
- What happens to astronauts' bodies on the ISS? A look at how space affects bone, blood and eyes starlust.org · 14h ago
- Spend a year in space and your own body will betray you on the way home, starting with your spine. Space Daily · 14h ago broke it first
- Iowa State University lab examines muscle and bone deterioration in space and on Earth Iowa Capital Dispatch · 14h ago
- In microgravity, the human spine lengthens by as much as five centimetres, and astronauts come home temporarily taller than when they left, before gravity compresses the column again within days of landing Space Daily · 14h ago broke it first
People, places & organizations
Topics
Related trends
SpaceX planning Saturday morning launch from Vandenberg Space Force Base
4 news sources are covering this Science story right now — Newsylist is tracking how fast it spreads.
Wildfire forces evacuation of NASA's Deep Space Network complex in Spain
5 news sources are covering this Science story right now — Newsylist is tracking how fast it spreads.
See stunning images in this year’s Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition
5 news sources are covering this Science story right now — Newsylist is tracking how fast it spreads.
Selling light after dark: Satellite designed to reflect sunlight to Earth approved by FCC
9 news sources are covering this Science story right now — Newsylist is tracking how fast it spreads.
Space datacenters proposed by Musk and Bezos ‘catastrophic’ for planet, experts warn
4 news sources are covering this Science story right now — Newsylist is tracking how fast it spreads.
Rivers of magma once bubbled beneath crust of Mars, research suggests
5 news sources are covering this Science story right now — Newsylist is tracking how fast it spreads.