Paris - (AFP) - The study of what people with disabilities can provide for space missions is the focus of the mission of the disabled Briton John MacPhail, who was chosen by the European Space Agency as part of the unprecedented "Parasturaunt" project in the field of space exploration.

Until yesterday, people with disabilities were excluded from the list of people selected by the agency to become astronauts. Guillaume Wertz, chief astronaut physician at the European Space Agency, explains to AFP that "the Parastronaut project entails a complete change of philosophy" related to the concept of medical eligibility that originated in the military and concerns the selection of military pilots.

During the launch of the selection campaign in February 2021, the agency announced that it would give the opportunity to one or more candidates who suffer from disabilities in their lower limbs (as a result of an amputation or congenital anomaly).

Also among the candidates are those whose height does not exceed thirty centimeters or those who suffer from asymmetry in the legs. The intellectual and psychological skills required are the same conditions as for other astronauts.

"We dealt with a large group of candidates and met amazing people," says Wertz, who participated in the selection stages, noting that the process "proved that disability is not a barrier, and we believe in that."

At the same time, the European Space Agency launched a "feasibility study" regarding sending an astronaut with disabilities on a manned space flight, to stay on the International Space Station, for example.

Any small changes in the highly precise field of space missions can be very complex or very costly.

The systems currently in place, for example, are designed for people of a certain size. So how to ensure that "someone of a smaller size will have access to the buttons?" For what Virts wonders.

The agency therefore intends to work with Britain's John MacPhail to find the best way to identify and eliminate potential difficulties.
Will the first disabled astronaut be able to fly quickly into low orbit? "Space is not an activity for those in a hurry," Werts explains.

"It is difficult to predict the timetable for similar missions because it depends on what we will face, and there is still a lot of work to be done," he added. But it is possible that the disabled astronaut will be sent into space "within the next 10 years".

Kamran Malik, director general of the British charity Disability Rights, considers this project "exciting", given that people with disabilities are "excluded from the great achievements of human beings".

"If we really want to explore the universe, we have to accept that it should not be reserved for a particular group of people," he told AFP. He welcomes the European Space Agency's move to work with astronauts to find out their needs.

"I am a wheelchair user, and it's much better when people ask me what works for me and what I need, rather than making assumptions about what a person can or cannot do," he says.

He notes that he dreamed during his teens of becoming an astronaut while watching the launch of a spacecraft. He says, "Certainly, they quickly replied to me that the matter would not be achieved, and I was told, 'Do not aspire to become an astronaut'... Today I regret not having pursued my dream."