Astronaut With Disability Cleared To Go To Space Station

For the first time, an astronaut with a disability has been cleared for a mission to the International Space Station.

The European Space Agency said this month that John McFall has received medical clearance to serve as a fully integrated crew member on a six-month mission to the space station.

McFall, a British surgeon and former Paralympic sprinter, had his right leg amputated after a motorbike accident at age 19. He was selected in 2022 as a member of the European Space Agency’s astronaut reserve to participate in a study assessing the feasibility of space flight for astronauts with physical disabilities.

“I feel hugely proud,” McFall said at a news conference. “This isn’t about me. This is way bigger than that because this a cultural shift. This is something that has not been done before.”

At this point, there is no plan for when McFall might head to space.

“Now, he is an astronaut like everybody else who wants to fly to the space station waiting for a mission assignment,” said Daniel Neuenschwander, director of human and robotic exploration at the European Space Agency.

In the meantime, officials with the space agency said they are continuing to examine prosthetics and other factors that might impact McFall in space. McFall noted that as part of this work they have already developed some technologies that will “trickle down and have benefits” for prosthetic users more broadly.