If you thought disability restrains one from travelling to space, a happening place these days, think again. To make space travel inclusive, the European Space Agency hopes to hire and launch the world’s first physically challenged astronaut. Several hundred would-be para-astronauts have already applied for the job, says ESA chief Josef Aschbacher. What is it all about? Let’s find out.
The European Space Agency, abbreviated as ESA, is Europe’s comprehensive space agency. Established in 1975, it is an intergovernmental organisation comprising 22 member States. Dedicated to exploration and use of space for the benefit of people, the agency has promoted the European countries’ interests in space for over four decades. It provides independent access to space for scientific and commercial missions through Europe’s spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana.
Its Ariane rocket once dominated the market for commercial satellite launches. But now, from flying cargo missions and sending astronauts to the International Space Station to undertaking suborbital flights with the aim of leveraging space tourism, private players such as SpaceX are posing stiff competition. Space, which was once the preserve of public agencies such as ESA and NASA, is now open to all for exploration.
First-ever attempt
It’s no mean task to go to space – astronaut candidates must complete months of intensive training and preparation to survive in the hostile space environment. A physical disability would normally prevent candidates from being selected to fly to space due to requirements imposed by current space hardware. In a first-ever attempt, the ESA has announced plans to launch an astronaut with a disability. The ESA’s “Parastronaut feasibility project seeks to clear the path to space for astronauts with disabilities. It aims at offering them professional spaceflight opportunities. As part of the project, ESA plans to develop necessary technologies to enable these professionals to serve as crew members.
The way forward
According to Aschbacher, the ESA’s recruitment ad for new astronauts has attracted a whopping 22,000 applicants. Among them are over 250 candidates with disabilities. After several rounds of selection process, six applicants will be able to join the existing ESA astronaut corps by the end of 2022.
The parastronaut project will provide an opportunity of flight to one or more individuals. Under the project, the selected candidate(s) will get to work with the agency to help assess the conditions that allow people with disabilities to operate in space. While educational and psychological requirements for these candidates are the same as those for the agency’s astronaut selection, physical disabilities such as a lower limb deficiency, a marked difference in leg length and a short stature are allowed. It is said that after arriving at an understanding of the potential challenges regarding safety and operations for such people, the scope of disabilities may be widened to ensure a broader inclusion.
Quick facts
- The current group of ESA astronauts include French Thomas Pesquet, Italians Samantha Cristoforetti and Luca Parmitano, Germans Alexander Gerst and Matthias Maurer, Danish Andreas Mogensen, and Briton Timothy Peake.
- The ESA’s previous recruitment for astronauts took place in 2008.
Picture Credit : Google
