John McFall, a British Paralympian medalist, might become the first disabled person to go to space two years after becoming the first “parastronaut” as the European Space Agency (ESA) announced a new class of trainee astronauts.
Following a motorcycle accident that caused him to have his right leg amputated at the age of 19, McFall learned to run again and became a professional track and field athlete. The Team GB sprinter won bronze in 100m T42 at the 2008 Beijing Paralympics, and later began working as a trauma and orthopedic surgeon.
McFall credits the Paralympics for helping to challenge his preconceived notions of what he and other disabled people could achieve.
“Elite athletes inspire so many people. Lots of people do sport and have this admiration for what it takes to compete at the elite level,” he explained in the scientific journal, Nature last week. “From the Paralympic point of view, it’s hugely important to connect with a wider audience, to make wider society aware of what people with physical disabilities are capable of.”
Since joining the ESA in 2022, McFall has taken part in its “Fly!” feasibility study, which assessed the challenges a disabled person might face in space flight.
He says the study has “so far has demonstrated that it is technically feasible for someone with a physical disability like mine to fly to space and to live and work as a fully integrated member of the ISS crew for a long mission,” in Nature.
With the study due to conclude at the end of the year, McFall, 43, hopes that the ESA will “get someone with a physical disability flying.”
In a media release, the ESA noted that the study, which saw McFall take on winter and sea survival training and zero-gravity flights, marked “a significant milestone in the journey towards inclusivity in space exploration.”
“To this day, ‘Fly!’ has not identified any showstoppers which would prevent an astronaut with a disability like John’s from joining a long duration mission to the International Space Station, which typically lasts six months,” the agency said.
In Nature, McFall expressed his anticipation for the future and to potentially set a new precedent for what disabled people are capable of.
“I hope that I get the opportunity to fly in the future. That would be tremendous. And I also hope that I can sow the seed for a legacy to follow on from, to look at the feasibility to fly with a wider range of disabilities,” he said.
