height of a person increases by inch or 2 in space ...how this happens?

Answer 1

Their joints are no longer being compressed by the gravity - hence they expand making their height increase.

Although this is only temporary, the lose it all once they return to Earth.

A similar effect can be observed on Earth - when you wake up in the morning you a slightly taller than when you went to bed - the 8 hours of gravity acting perpendicular to your joints make you slightly taller again due to joint expansion.

Answer 2

The discs, ligaments and other soft tissues that make up the spine and indeed the human body compress under gravity. When a person gets into orbit and the engines shut down, there is no longer any gravitational loading on his or her muscles, bones, ligaments or discs in their spines. With the effect of gravity removed, a spacefarer gains an inch or two of height that disappears within hours of returning to Earth.

Answer 3

The backbone decompresses from the lack of gravity, and the spin curvature reduces somewhat.

The effect reverses when one returns to earth, there is no permanent height gain.

A similar thing happens here on earth, from the horizontal position adopted for sleeping. Measure yourself in the morning, and in the evening: you will see a noticeable difference in height.

Answer 4

By lowering the height of space.

Answer 5

this is caused by spinal compression due to gravity. a persons height also increases when you measure someone lying down as compared to when they're standing up.

Answer 6

Muscles and joints expand when the force of gravity is removed from the human body.

Answer 7

Astronauts in space to not have the force of gravity compressing their bodies.

Answer 8

If that's true, then that's cool.

I would be 5'9. Awesome.