After carrying out a feasibility study, the ESA said potential candidates for the 'parastronaut project' could include people who have deficiencies in their lower limbs, whether from amputation or congenital defects
People with physical disabilities have previously been excluded from one of the most exclusive and demanding jobs on Earth—and beyond—due to strict selection requirements.
Image: Mark Garcia / Nasa
The first astronaut—or astronauts—with a physical disability could be announced as soon as Wednesday, according to the European Space Agency.
People with physical disabilities have previously been excluded from one of the most exclusive and demanding jobs on Earth—and beyond—due to strict selection requirements.
Guillaume Weerts, the ESA's head of space medicine, told AFP that the agency's "parastronaut project" required "a complete change in philosophy" about the concept of medical aptitude, which originally came from the military and the selection of fighter pilots.
After carrying out a feasibility study, the ESA said potential candidates could include people who have deficiencies in their lower limbs, whether from amputation or congenital defects.
Shorter people of up to 1.3 metres (4.3 feet) tall or those with different leg lengths were also eligible to apply.