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Space diversity: Europe's space agency gets 1st parastronaut

PARIS (AP) 鈥 The European Space Agency made history Wednesday by selecting an amputee who lost his leg in a motorcycle accident to be among its newest batch of astronauts 鈥 a leap toward its pioneering ambition to send someone with a physical disabil
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ESA's new parastronaut John McFall, a British former Paralympic sprinter who will take part in a potentially groundbreaking feasibility study to explore whether physical disability will impair space travel, poses during the ESA Council at Ministerial level (CM22) at the Grand Palais Ephemere, in Paris, Wednesday, Nov. 23, 2022. The European Space Agency has selected a disabled former athlete to be among its its newest astronaut recruits as part of its first recruitment drive in over a decade that aimed to bring diversity to space travel. (AP Photo/Francois Mori)

PARIS (AP) 鈥 The European Space Agency made history Wednesday by selecting an amputee who lost his leg in a motorcycle accident to be among its newest batch of astronauts 鈥 a leap toward its pioneering ambition to send someone with a physical disability into space.

John McFall, a 41-year-old Briton who lost his right leg when he was 19 and went on to compete in the Paralympics, called his selection at Europe's answer to NASA 鈥渁 real turning point and mark in history.鈥

鈥淓SA has a commitment to send an astronaut with a physical disability into space ... This is the first time that a space agency has endeavored to embark on a project like this. And it sends a really, really strong message to humanity,鈥 he said.

The newly-minted parastronaut joins five career astronauts in the final selection unveiled during a Paris news conference 鈥 the conclusion of the agency's first recruitment drive in over a decade aimed at bringing diversity to space travel.

The list also included two women: France鈥檚 Sophie Adenot and the UK鈥檚 Rosemary Coogan, new ambassadors for another greatly underrepresented section for European astronauts. A small minority of those who have explored space have been women, and most of those were Americans.

Wednesday's list did not, however, include any persons of color. The hiring campaign didn鈥檛 specifically address ethnic diversity, but at the time stressed the importance of 鈥渞epresenting all parts of our society.鈥

McFall will follow a different path than his fellow astronauts because he will participate in a groundbreaking feasibility study exploring whether physical disability will impair space travel. It's uncharted land, since no major Western space agency has ever put a parastronaut into space, according to the ESA.

Speaking with pride amid flashes of emotion, McFall said that he was uniquely suited to the mission because of the vigor of his mind and body.

鈥淚鈥檓 very comfortable in my own skin. I lost my leg about twenty plus years ago, I鈥檝e had the opportunity to be a paralympic athlete and really explored myself emotionally ... All those factors and hardships in life have given me confidence and strength -- the ability to believe in myself that I can do anything I put my mind to,鈥 he added.

"I never dreamt of being an astronaut. It was only when ESA announced that they were looking for a candidate with a physical disability to embark on this project that it really sparked my interest."

The feasibility study, that will last two to three years, will examine the basic hurdles for a parastronaut including how a physical disability might impact mission training, and if modifications to spacesuits and aircraft are required, for example.

ESA鈥檚 Director of Human and Robotic Exploration David Parker said it was still a 鈥渓ong road鈥 for McFall but described the fresh recruitment as a long-held ambition.

Parker said it started with a question. 鈥淢aybe there are people out there that are almost superhuman in that they鈥檝e already overcome challenges. And could they become astronauts?鈥

Parker also says that he 鈥渢hinks鈥 it may be the first time the word 鈥減arastronaut鈥 has been used, but 鈥淚 do not claim ownership.鈥

鈥淲e鈥檙e saying that John (McFall) could be the first parastronaut, that means someone who has been selected by the regular astronaut selection process but happens to have a disability that would normally have ruled him out,鈥 he said.

It will be at least five years before McFall goes into space as an astronaut 鈥 if he is successful.

Across the Atlantic, Houston is taking note. Dan Huot, a spokesman for NASA鈥檚 Johnson Space Center, home to the American agency鈥檚 astronaut corps, told the AP that 鈥渨e at NASA are watching ESA鈥檚 para-astronaut selection process with great interest.鈥

Huot acknowledged that 鈥淣ASA鈥檚 selection criteria currently remains the same鈥 but said the agency is looking forward to working with the 鈥渘ew astronauts in the future鈥 from partners such as the ESA.

NASA stressed that it has a safety-conscious process for vetting future astronauts who might be put in life-threatening situations.

鈥淔or maximum crew safety, NASA鈥檚 current requirements call for each crew member to be free of medical conditions that could either impair the person鈥檚 ability to participate in, or be aggravated by, spaceflight, as determined by NASA physicians,鈥 Huot added.

NASA said future 鈥渁ssistive technology鈥 might change the game for 鈥渟ome candidates鈥 to meet their stringent safety requirements.

The European agency received applications from all member nations and associate members, though most came from traditional heavyweights France, Germany, Britain and Italy.

The two-day ESA council running Tuesday to Wednesday in Paris also saw France, Germany and Italy announcing an agreement Tuesday for a new-generation European space launcher project as part of apparent efforts to better compete with Elon Musk鈥檚 SpaceX and other rocket programs in the U.S. and China.

The ESA鈥檚 22 European members also announced their commitment to 鈥渟pace ambitions鈥 with a budget rise of 17% 鈥 representing 16.9 billion euros over the next three years. It will fund projects as diverse as tackling climate change to exploring Mars.

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Associated Press writer Marcia Dunn contributed to this story from Cape Canaveral, Florida

Thomas Adamson, The Associated Press