The European Space Agency on Wednesday revealed the first-ever ‘parastronaut,’ which is a big step toward enabling people with physical limitations to work and live in space. The 22-nation group announced that one of the 17 new personnel picked for astronaut training was former British Paralympic sprinter John McFall.
He will take part in a feasibility study that will help the ESA decide what requirements need to be met for people with disabilities to take part in the upcoming missions.
In an interview published on the ESA website, McFall remarked, ‘It’s been quite a hectic experience given that as an amputee, I’d never imagined that being an astronaut was a possibility, so exhilaration was a tremendous emotion.’
He will train with 11 reserve astronauts and five new career astronauts after the ESA filled its astronaut ranks for the first time since 2009.
Last year, applications were only accepted from those who are fully capable of passing the ESA’s customarily demanding psychological, cognitive and other tests. The only reason these people can’t become astronauts is due to the limitations of the available hardware in light of their disability.
It got 257 applications for the ‘parastronaut’ position, a parallel position for astronauts with disabilities.
His appointment was called ‘a major leap forward’ by Disability equality charity Scope.
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