Japanese astronaut sorry for ‘fake news’

TOKYO: Japanese astronaut Norishige Kanai ( pix), on a mission to the International Space Station, apologised yesterday for saying he had grown 9cm in space and for expressing concern on if he’d be safe on his return to Earth.

Most astronauts “grow” during protracted space missions because their spines extend in the absence of gravity, but the gains are usually limited to a couple of centimetres maximum and disappear once they are back on the ground.

The 41-year-old, who is on a nearly sixmonth mission, tweeted on Monday that he had “a big announcement”.

“My height’s been measured here in space and somehow, somehow, I’ve grown 9cm! In only three weeks I’ve really shot up, something I haven’t seen since high school.”

“This makes me a little worried that I might not be able to fit in the Soyuz seats for our return.”

But a bit over a day later – and in the wake of a flurry of news stories – he apologised, saying he’d measured himself after his captain raised questions about the apparent growth and he had stretched only 2cm.

“This mis-measurement appears to have become a big deal, so I must apologise for this terrible fake news,” he tweeted, without explaining how the miscalculation occurred.

“It appears I can fit on the Soyuz, so I‘m relieved.” – Reuters