The European Space Agency made history Wednesday by selecting an amputee to be among its newest batch of astronauts, complementing that with an unprecedented commitment to one day send someone with a physical disability into outer space.
John McFall, a 41-year-old British former Paralympian who lost his right leg in a motorcycle accident when he was 19, called his selection “a real turning point and mark in history.”
McFall will follow a different path than his other fellow astronauts by participating in a groundbreaking feasibility study exploring whether physical disability will impair space travel. To date, no major Western space agency has ever put a parastronaut into space, according to the ESA. Parker said it started with a question. “Maybe there are people out there that are almost superhuman in that they've already overcome challenges. And could they become astronauts?”
The new recruits were among the more than 22,000 applicants who came forward in the hiring push announced February of last year by Europe's equivalent to NASA, including more women than ever and some 200 people with disabilities applied.
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