John McFall, a Briton who lost his leg in an accident, may become the first astronaut with a disability. Photo

The first astronaut with a disability may be John McFall, a Briton. The European Space Agency is currently testing the possibility of sending him into space.

Since John lost his leg in an accident and uses a prosthesis, it is important to understand how the conditions in space will affect him. There is every indication that a space flight for McFall can take place, writes The Guardian. And this gives hope that in the future, he or someone else with a disability will eventually be able to prepare for a future mission.

John McFall's story began with a job advertisement for future astronauts sent to him by an acquaintance. And the man's reaction was lightning fast – he wanted to go into space. But in more than six decades of space exploration, there has never been a single case of an astronaut with any health problems.

Nevertheless, he moved forward. Three years have passed since John saw the job posting, and now he may indeed become the world's first astronaut with a disability.

McFall underwent a grueling selection process at the European Space Agency that consisted of six stages, from hours of psychomotor tests to panel interviews. In 2022, the agency agreed to let him join them in their efforts to push the boundaries of space exploration to see if people with disabilities can live and work in space.

"This is very exciting. Why hasn't this been done before?" says McFall, 43, in an interview.

There are no exact guarantees that McFall will go into space. But there is movement in this direction. Since space operations were designed for people who do not have musculoskeletal problems, the tests are aimed at studying how John will be able to move and stabilize in microgravity and how the conditions in space will affect his prosthesis.

While the agency's work in this area is currently focused on McFall, part of the project's goal is to pave the way for other people with disabilities to enter space.

"I hope that between 2027 and the end of this decade, we will see a European astronaut with a disability as part of the crew of the International Space Station," said a representative of the European Space Agency.

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