It European Space Agency (ONE) chose John McFall to join his training corps to make him an astronaut. A sprinter at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the 41-year-old seems to have the ideal profile for the task, but in reality, unique in history. Because McFall has no legsand pointed to Be the first disabled person to travel to outer space.

“With my extensive scientific background and vast experience, I feel compelled to try to help ESA answer this question.: Can we ask someone with a physical disability to do meaningful work in space?“, explained McFall, who lost a leg at the age of 19 in a motorcycle accident.

Far from stopping him, the former athlete described the event as an “inspiring and exciting” opportunity, and he will be working with designers and engineers to see if it can happen. the first “paranaut” in history.

The Paralympic sprinter was one of 17 selected out of 22,500 applicants to join the 2022 ESA astronaut class. Those selected will now finish one year of basic training in aerospace technology, science, and medicine at the European Astronaut Center in Cologne, Germany, before entering the next phase of Space Station training, where they will be taught how to operate station elements and transport vehicles.

“As an amputee, I never thought becoming an astronaut was a possibility.”, said McFall in an interview published on the ESA website. “I really enjoy using the skills I have to solve problems, identify problems, and overcome barriers that make it possible for people with physical disabilities perform the job in the same way as their non-disabled counterparts“, said.

McFall also said he wanted to find answers to the practical questions posed by sending a physically disabled person into space: “What actually happens to someone with a lower leg amputee in microgravity? How about your stubble?”

What was the first “parastronaut” training like?

McFall will participate in ESA’s “Parastronaut Eligibility Project,” which the agency said in a statement is aimed at “developing options for inclusion of astronauts with physical disabilities on human spaceflight and possible future missions.” While it can’t guarantee at this stage that McFall will be sent into space, the agency said it would be “committed to the most serious effort” to make that happen.

European space officials have used the term “parastronaut” to describe a person who “psychologically, cognitively, technically and professionally qualified to become an astronautbut who have a physical disability that normally precludes them from being selected because of the requirements imposed by the use of today’s space hardware.

With the former British athlete, ESA will learn what needs to be adapted and redesigned for disabled astronauts. But it may be a few years before it can go into space, if at all.

“This is very important to us. Diversity comes in many forms. And the World Health Organization predicts that about 15% of the population lives with some type of disability, and maybe 2% are actually affected by it. Of course, being an astronaut is something very exclusive. But having a disability shouldn’t rule you out,” said ESA Director of Human and Robotic Exploration David Parker.

“we pioneered here. This is something we really love. We need to start a process where we’re going to be working with the individual, understanding how to adapt the spacecraft, maybe something on the space station, to ensure they can live, work and carry out meaningful missions at the station,” he added.

UK Science Secretary George Freeman said he was proud that Britain “will be the first country to put para-astronauts in space and demonstrate that space is indeed a new frontier“. “This is where we break down the barrier holding back the planet and humanity,” he added.

An astronaut with an Olympic bronze

Born in Frimley, a town 53 kilometers southwest of London, McFall he married and had three children. His favorite sports are running and mountain biking, while his other interests are playing the guitar, traveling, carpentry and DIY. BBC.

From 2014 to 2016, McFall is a staff physician in the UK public health system and worked in a variety of medical and surgical specialties in South East Wales. He became a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons in 2016 and is currently a traumatology and orthopedics specialist working in the south of England.

However, the pinnacle of McFall’s career was when won a bronze medal in the 100 meter dash at the Paralympics held in 2008 in Beijing. Coincidentally, the last call for ESA astronaut candidate selection was in 2008.

Now, he’s getting ready to go into space. “It science is for everyone and hopefully space travel will be for everyone,” he celebrated.