British paralympian may become world’s first disabled astronaut
MOSCOW: British paralympic athlete John McFall may become the world’s first astronaut with a disability, the European Space Agency (ESA) said on Wednesday.
“In November 2022, John was selected to take part in the Parastronaut Feasibility Project to improve our understanding of, and overcome, the barriers space flight presents for astronauts with a physical disability,” Sputnik quoted ESA as saying in a statement.
McFall lost his right leg in an accident at age 19 and later competed for the UK as a Paralympic sprinter.
According to the agency, McFall is one of 17 new astronaut candidates, and was chosen from more than 22,500 applicants.
“The European Space Agency has chosen 17 new astronaut candidates from more than 22,500 applicants from across its Member States. In this new 2022 class of ESA astronauts are five career astronauts, 11 members of an astronaut reserve and one astronaut with a disability,” the agency said.
The astronaut candidates will undergo basic training for a year at the European Astronaut Training Center in Germany, after which they will begin training for work on the space station, the ESA added.