New Crop of Would-Be Astronauts Builds on Agency's Next-Gen Accommodation Goals
John McFall made history this year as the first physically disabled astronaut, brought on as one of the European Space Agency's new crop of recruits. McFall joins 16 new faces from across the EU, picked from about 22,500 applicants as the ESA ran its first open casting call in more than a decade. The 41-year-old said he hopes that his selection will help to inspire others to try for their dreams, too. His position as an amputee will be part of an effort to gauge the feasibility of disability in space travel, allowing the ESA to build experience in spaceborne accommodations for people outside the able-bodied norm that astronauts have long been required to fit.