WISH YOU WERE TALLER? TRY THIS SLEEP-AND-GROW TRICK.
This experiment from the book Space Station Science: Life in Free Fall (Scholastic) shows how gravity affects your height.
1. Tape a sheet of paper to a wall over a noncarpeted floor. The bottom should be about eye level.
2. When you wake up in the morning, get a book and a pencil. Stand with your back against the wall, place the book flat on the top of your head and use the pencil to mark where the book hits the paper (parents may need to help kids keep the book horizontal).
3. Just before bed, make a new mark on the paper.
THE SURPRISING RESULT:
Did gravity shrink you? Expect about a 1/3-inch change in height for kids, less for adults.
How microgravity in the space station will affect the astronauts: They will stretch as much as 2 and 3/4 inches while they are on board.
