{"id":1953,"date":"2024-10-10T12:59:48","date_gmt":"2024-10-10T01:59:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.melbasupport.com.au\/?p=1953"},"modified":"2025-03-21T11:42:29","modified_gmt":"2025-03-21T00:42:29","slug":"paralympian-hopes-to-become-worlds-first-astronaut-with-disability","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.melbasupport.com.au\/paralympian-hopes-to-become-worlds-first-astronaut-with-disability\/","title":{"rendered":"Paralympian hopes to become world\u2019s first astronaut with disability\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"    <div class=\"block--custom-layout block_8be2969347ae569ce7984615e26ec009 custom-wysiwyg blog-wysiwyg\" >\r\n        \r\n        <p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">British Paralympian John McFall is training to become an astronaut and, if successful, he would be the world\u2019s first astronaut with a disability.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The 41-year-old orthopedic surgeon is undergoing testing with the European Space Agency (ESA) to assess how space conditions might impact McFall\u2019s prosthesis as part of a broader effort to explore the possibility of making space travel accessible to people with physical disabilities.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">McFall, a bronze medallist at the 2008 Beijing Paralympics, lost his right leg in a motorcycle accident at 19.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">After responding to an ESA job posting in 2021 calling for people with physical disabilities, McFall embarked on a rigorous selection process. This included psychomotor assessments and panel interviews to determine whether he could meet the physical demands of space travel.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">If successful, McFall will be part of a six-month mission to the International Space Station.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">&#8220;We have to provide data to demonstrate that it is possible,&#8221; McFall said, emphasising the potential to break new ground for future astronauts with disabilities.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">&#8220;It\u2019s not that people have said, \u2018you can\u2019t do it.\u2019 It\u2019s more like, \u2018no one has done it yet\u2019.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u201cThere are some activities in spaceflight operations that we take for granted that able-bodied people can do because, well, why wouldn\u2019t they? Emergency procedures such as getting out of the spacecraft or medical procedures in microgravity, preflight training activities on the ground, being able to use the equipment from an ergonomic point of view \u2013 all of this has been designed around able-bodied people. <\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u201cIf you look at those requirements and ask, \u2018Well, astronauts are required to do this \u2013 can John with his disability and prosthesis still do that?\u2019 Some of it\u2019s like, \u2018Well, yeah, of course I can!\u2019<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u201cIt\u2019s not until you pick apart the requirements for flying to space that you look at how my disability and prosthesis might impact meeting them. The goal was to find out what we need to demonstrate to prove that they can be met.\u201d<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Although space operations have historically been designed for able-bodied astronauts, McFall\u2019s journey could redefine who gets to participate in space exploration. ESA officials have expressed hope that an astronaut with disability could join the International Space Station by the end of the decade.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u201cThere are several other disabilities (that merit microgravity studies), such as in the case of someone who can\u2019t use their lower limbs and is a wheelchair user,\u201dMcFall said.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u201cIn this case, lower limb muscle atrophy or fluid shift is not really an issue because they don\u2019t walk or put weight on their lower body. They\u2019d still need assistive devices to meet the emergency requirements at launch, but when you\u2019re up in space, getting about and doing tasks is straightforward.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u201cYes, they may have to demonstrate that they can stabilise themselves, and we can develop technology to help, but they are actually less dependent on assistive devices in space for their physical health.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u201cWe also know that astronauts in space only see a reduction in bone density in their lower limbs, so if you don\u2019t use those limbs, it doesn\u2019t matter.\u201d<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">McFall has also challenged the terminology surrounding his role, pushing back against the label &#8220;parastronaut&#8221;.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">&#8220;I\u2019m not a para-surgeon, I\u2019m a surgeon. I\u2019m not a para-dad, I\u2019m a dad,&#8221; he said, advocating for a more inclusive narrative that doesn\u2019t divide people with disability from their peers.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">&#8220;We\u2019re challenging the narrative surrounding physical disability and by doing so, we\u2019re creating discussion and breaking down stigma.&#8221;\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The ESA\u2019s initiative is not just about McFall \u2013 it\u2019s about laying the groundwork for others with disabilities to follow.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">&#8220;This is an opportunity to create more opportunities for people with disabilities in various professional fields,&#8221; McFall said.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">For McFall, the journey is about more than just making history as the first astronaut with disability, it\u2019s about shifting societal perceptions of what it means to have a disability. <\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u201cBy doing this, it\u2019s an opportunity to create more opportunities for people with disabilities in a number of different professional fields,\u201d he said.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">&#8220;My job is to make sure people have a well-rounded and informed definition of disability and what being disabled means,&#8221; he said.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">&#8220;It\u2019s not the kind of 1950s or 1920s version of being disabled.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n\r\n    <\/div>\r\n\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>British Paralympian John McFall is training to become an astronaut and, if successful, he would be the world\u2019s first astronaut with a disability.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":26,"featured_media":1956,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":true,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1953","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-latest-news"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Paralympian hopes to become world\u2019s first astronaut with disability\u00a0 | Melba Support Services<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"British Paralympian John McFall is training to become an astronaut and, if successful, he would be the world\u2019s first astronaut with a disability.\u00a0\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, 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