'It was magical' Meet the first disabled crew to fly in zero-gravity
Becoming an astronaut is out of reach for most people. But could the tough selection process be doing more harm than good? New space firm, Mission Astro Access, wants to challenge the perception that space travel is only for those who meet specific physical criteria, and has sent its first disabled crew on a zero-gravity flight.
"It can benefit the entire aerospace community," Sina says, explaining that when adjustments are made for disabled people it makes everyone's lives easier. The curb-cut to lower pavements, for instance, was created for wheelchair-users, but is welcomed by parents with prams. "The moment it actually sunk in was when they closed the cargo door," says ambassador Mary Cooper who has always dreamed of space travel but thought it impossible.The aerospace engineering and computer science student at Stanford University was born with fibular hemimelia, where part or all of the leg bone is missing. Mary had her left leg amputated below the knee as a baby and uses a prosthetic. "It's one of my favourite things about me now," she says.
"I was expecting disorientation," he says, "[but] once I started getting used to zero-g I immediately found it comfortable and easy for me to push off with less force and to use a little more finesse." While Mary and Sina are part of the first disabled crew to go on a parabolic flight, they are not the first individuals.
"And these standards aren't safe," Sina adds. "Nasa is doing a disservice to humanity and also to astronauts themselves by not considering inclusion upfront. When you get a group of people with diverse abilities together the sum is greater than the parts." One experiment took them to the choppy Nova Scotian seas. While the scientists became violently ill, the Gallaudet Eleven played cards."There's this built-in belief that persons with disabilities are somehow less than and therefore all of the other considerations aren't brought to the table," he says, saying that needs to stop.
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