Space bid bit of a stretch

ODDS were lengthening on whether a Japanese astronaut would make it home after he claimed to have grown 9cm while in orbit – throwing doubt on his ability to squeeze into his ride back to Earth.

Norishige Kanai, who is aboard the International Space Station, tweeted that he had grown 9cm since arriving, and was worried about squeezing back into the Soyuz craft.

Although spines can extend in zero-gravity, this returns to normal on Earth. However, a follow-up revealed Kanai had only grown 2cm, meaning he was in no danger.