N SYNC - BASS SHRUNK AS A COSMONAUT

BASS SHRUNK AS A COSMONAUT

Former 'N SYNC star LANCE BASS returned from his failed Russian space tourist attempt in 2002 a full two inches (five centimetres) shorter.
The 29-year-old, told US talk show host Jay Leno it was a tight squeeze fitting into the tiny Soyuz module he hoped would make him the youngest person in space.
And on his arrival to the U.S. following the project's collapse, pals noticed a difference in Bass' height.
"I came back shorter. Everyone said, 'You're much shorter', so I measured myself and...yeah.
"My torso was too long to fit in the rocket seat. They had to make a special suit so when I was in space it would contract me."
Bass was due to front a TV show in which contestants would compete for places on the extraterrestrial adventure.
And when the concept fell through, Bass was approached to star in a documentary training him for the module's hot seat.
He adds, "(The training was) intense - every day from five in the morning until nine at night.
"It was condensed training because it takes years to become a cosmonaut and they only had six months to train me."
Bass had to abandon the plan when he couldn't meet the Russian Space Agency's $20 million (GBP12.9 million) funding demands.