Paralympian turned astronaut John McFall could soon be the first disabled person to go to space – and he credits the Paralympics with helping to challenge preconceptions of what disabled people can achieve.
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.
The ESA noted in a media release 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 a statement.
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