- John McFall, 42, was recently selected for ESA’s astronaut programme
- He is set to visit the ISS, but will now have to have his prosthetic leg tested
John McFall hit the headlines last year, after being revealed as the world’s first parastronaut.
The former Paralympian, 42, had his right leg amputated following a motorcycle accident in Thailand in 2000.
But he certainly hasn’t let his disability hold him back, and was recently selected for the European Space Agency’s (ESA’s) astronaut programme.
As part of the programme, Mr McFall will spend time living on board the International Space Station (ISS).
However, Mr McFall’s visit to the ISS has hit a hurdle, with experts raising fears that his prosthetic leg could poison the crew.
Mr McFall is now having tests carried out on the leg by ESA to ensure it does not give off dangerous toxic gases over time.
According to the Telegraph, Mr McFall said: ‘It’s stuff you don’t necessarily think of.
‘The socket is carbon fibre and it’s got like a high-density foam on the inside.
‘The carbon fibre socket is impregnated with a resin.
‘The foam is made with polymers.
‘Those materials will continue to give off gases to one degree or another and in an environment like the ISS where the air is constantly recycled, any significant amount of gases that are produced from a material will be amplified over a period of time because they’re not filtered out.’
The feasibility study will help ESA to assess the impact that being an amputee and wearing a prosthesis will have on the requirements for living and working in space, and test possible solutions to any problems.
Mr McFall was selected to join the ESA in November 2022, and is currently undertaking astronaut training and a feasibility project.
He lost his right leg in a motorcycle accident when he was 19 but went on to become a professional track and field athlete, winning a bronze medal at the Beijing Paralympic Games in 2008.
He was selected for the astronaut training programme alongside two other Brits – Meganne Christian, 35, a materials scientist originally from Kent; and Rosemary Coogan, 32, an astrophysicist from Northern Ireland.
At the time, he said: ‘When the advert for an astronaut with a physical disability came out I read the person specification and what it entailed and I thought, wow, this is such a huge interesting opportunity.
‘I thought that I would be a very good candidate to help ESA answer the question that they were asking; can we get someone with a physical disability into space?’
A decision on whether Mr McFall will fly on a mission into space will likely be made after the study has concluded in 2025.
The news comes shortly after Major Tim Peake was rumoured to be joining the three British astronauts on the first all-British mission.
Peake, 51, famously spent six months on the ISS between 2015 and 2016, but his younger crewmates will be making their first trips into orbit.
Dr. Thomas Hughes is a UK-based scientist and science communicator who makes complex topics accessible to readers. His articles explore breakthroughs in various scientific disciplines, from space exploration to cutting-edge research.
