'Science is for everyone and space travel hopefully can be for everyone.'
"It's been quite a whirlwind experience, given that as an amputee, I'd never thought that being an astronaut was a possibility, so excitement was a huge emotion," McFall explained in an interview posted on ESA's website.
ESA posted openings last year, and they put a call out for people capable of passing their regular astronaut tests as well as one for people who are only prevented from becoming astronauts today because of the limitations of existing hardware as related to their disability.Overall, ESA received 257 applications for the role of "parastronaut", or astronaut with a disability.
ESA will work with NASA on the new feasibility study. Both space agencies aim to establish the fact that parastronauts going to space wouldn't compromise crew safety, which is always the top priority in space. They will also look to design and develop any potential adaptions to existing spacecraft to allow parastronauts to join human spaceflight programs. If all goes to plan, the study will constitute a massive step in making spaceflight more accessible to all.
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