The European Space Agency on Wednesday the world’s first astronaut with a incapacity. John McFall, whose proper leg was amputated at age 19, is the primary recruit for a brand new program investigating lodging for astronauts with disabilities.

The company referred to as for functions in March 2021, in search of folks with disabilities who may move stringent bodily and psychological testing however have been restricted by an absence of {hardware} lodging. The program will examine the modifications and prices required to ship astronauts with disabilities into house. The ESA selected McFall out of 257 entrants, and describes him because the world’s first “parastronaut.” And subsequent spring, he’ll enter the 12-month coaching program on the European Astronaut Centre in Cologne, Germany.

“I’ve always been hugely interested in science generally, and space exploration has always been on my radar,” stated the 41-year-old McFall on Wednesday. “But having had a motorcycle accident when I was 19, like wanting to join the armed forces, having a disability was always a contraindication to doing that.”

After McFall’s accident and amputation, he realized to run once more and received a bronze medal within the 100-meter sprint on the 2008 Paralympic Games. In addition, he earned a number of medical levels and was a Foundation Doctor within the British National Health Service from 2014 to 2016. McFall at present works as a trauma and orthopedic specialist in South England.

“In early 2021 when the advert for an astronaut with a physical disability came out,” stated McFall, “I read the person specifications and what it entailed, and I thought, ‘Wow, this is such a huge and interesting opportunity.’ And I thought that I would be a very good candidate to help ESA answer the question they were asking: ‘Can we get someone with a physical disability into space?’ And I felt compelled to apply.”