First astronaut with disability cleared for ISS mission
First astronaut with disability cleared for ISS mission
The former Paralympian and surgeon has been medically certified to undertake a long-duration mission, the European Space Agency has announced.
John, who lost his leg in a motorbike accident when he was 19, was selected to take part in ESA’s Fly! Feasibility study in 2022, to look at the challenges of getting an astronaut with a disability to the ISS.
The study concluded in late 2024 and successfully demonstrated it is technically feasible to fly someone with a physical disability, like John’s, on a six-month mission to the ISS as a fully integrated crew member. The end of the feasibility study marks the start of the next phase: Fly! Mission Ready.
John is currently taking part in ESA Astronaut Reserve training at the European Astronaut Centre in Germany.
He complete his Bachelor’s degree from Swansea University, in Wales.
John McFall, from United Kingdom, is a member of the ESA Astronaut Class of 2022.
He is one of the more than 22 500 candidates who submitted a valid application in 2021 in response to ESA’s call for new astronauts for missions to the International Space Station and beyond.
Others taking part are the UK’s Meganne Christian. Rosemary Coogan graduated from astronaut basic training in April 2024 and is currently training with NASA in the US.
This video shows John training in April 2024
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First #astronaut with disabilty cleared for @NASA and #ISS mission view training https://t.co/xmZL277pF3 former medic John McFall from Frimley lost a leg when 19 now training for #space flight #ynuktv @esa pic.twitter.com/SryJqO9Qrd
— YourNewsUKtv (@YourNewsUKtv) February 18, 2025
First astronaut with disabilty cleared for #ISS mission view training here wp.me/p4BB8h-1sQ1 Brit, John McFall lost leg in motorbike accident now #ESA trained #NASA cleared him for #space journey to space station #ynuktv
— yournewsuktv (@yournewsuktv.bsky.social) 18 February 2025 at 18:09
