Why would astronauts come back from space taller?

Question

Explain your answer.

Answer 1

With no gravity to hold them down, the disc in the vertebrae relax and the astronaut's body stretches out. It is only temporary though, as when the return to Earth, the disk will compress again.

Answer 2

I actually did a report for my boss on this matter, though somewhat indirectly. When you wake up in the morning.....before you get out of bed, that is, have somebody measure your height to the best of their ability. Stand up and have them do the same.......on average, I lost an inch. The cartlidge between your vertebra in your spine is able to decompress a little while you sleep because gravity isn't pulling down on your body, and hence your spine, as much as when you sleep. As for the astronauts, they are usually without gravity meaning there is no force directly acting on their spine that would cause their spine to compress. They come back to the planet and their back is decompressed compared to their respective norms and thus are taller.

Answer 3

Ok - in your spine, there are disks between each vertebra. These disks are poofy and subject to compression, which generally happens as you age as a by-product of living on a planet with gravity. In space, there is no gravity, so there's no force making this disks flatten out. In fact, the opposite occurs - they poof out again to their normal/healthy state. The physical effect of this is that astronauts come back to Earth taller than when they left.

Answer 4

Because the small sacs between the vertebrae become fully hydrated. Without the effects of gravity which compresses these small sacs, there is no compression, so when they are fully hydrated, the astronaut will be taller for a limited period of time.

Answer 5

Well since you are actually taller after a good nights sleep, because gravity is not pulling you down, would imagine same principle is at work.

Answer 6

Because of the lack of gravity the disks in your back expand slightly. when you sleep this also happens that is why your are slightly taller in the morning then you are at the end of the day because walking around slightly compresses them.

Answer 7

your taller when you wake up in the morning then at night when you go to bed, go ahead and try it, i think it has something to do with something called "gravity".

Answer 8

Because when they take off their haulin so much *** that they stretch out.

Answer 9

from drinking tang

Answer 10

they wouldn't.