John McFall is the first disabled European astronaut : a British national, he wears a prosthetic right leg after losing it at the age of 19 following a motorbike accident . And now an international medical committee has officially certified that the British astronaut will be able to take part in missions aboard the International Space Station .
McFall is part of the new class of 12 astronauts selected by the European Space Agency in 2022 , which also includes the Italians Anthea Comellini and Andrea Patassa, and has since taken part in a long feasibility study to identify any issues that could hinder his activities in space. "John is now certified as an astronaut capable of flying on a long-duration mission to the ISS, and I think this is an incredible step forward in our intention to expand society's access to space," said Daniel Neuenschwander, ESA's director of human and robotic exploration immediately after the announcement.
"To be honest, I expected some obstacles and I'm really happy to see that we made it. Now he's an astronaut like all the others," adds Neuenschwander, "waiting to be assigned a mission."
John McFall is also a doctor specializing in traumatology and orthopedics and a professional athlete : he represented his country at the Paralympics as a sprinter , winning a bronze medal in the 100 meters at the 2008 Games and several medals between World and European Championships. "I feel extremely proud," he said regarding his qualification among the ESA astronaut reserves. One of these, the Swede Marcus Wandt, participated in the private Axiom-3 mission in January 2024, which saw the Italian Air Force Colonel Walter Villadei as pilot, and another, the Polish Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski, could go to the Space Station thanks to the Ax-4 mission, whose launch is scheduled no earlier than spring 2025.
(Unioneonline/vl)
