The European Space Agency is Calling for Astronaut Candidates with Physical Disabilities
In the entire history of human civilization, only 550 people have been able to see the earth from space.
In the half century since space travel was conceived and man first launched a rocket into orbit, this group of 550 astronauts have gained a near-mythical status around the world. They are the people who are deemed the most well-educated, the fittest, the bravest, and the most adaptable that humankind has to offer. They grace our television screens, lead parades, and perhaps most importantly, become role models for millions of children who see the boundaries of human ingenuity tested in real time.
For years, that honor was only given to Caucasian males. Then, the first females were integrated into the system, followed by the first black astronaut, the first Asian astronaut. In the years leading up to 2021, the classes of astronauts chosen by both the North American Space Agency (NASA) and the European Space Agency (ESA) have slowly become more diverse compared to previous classes.
However, one group of people have never been let in, regardless of how well equipped they might be to be an astronaut. A person with a physical disability of any kind has never been in orbit.
The European Space Agency is looking to change that.
Developing a New Type of Astronaut Gear
ESA recently launched the Parastronaut Feasibility Project, which hopes to redefine what it means to be an astronaut and usher in an era of inclusion.
The pilot program calls for candidates who are “psychologically, cognitively, technically and professionally qualified to be an astronaut, but have a physical disability that would normally prevent them from being selected due to the requirements imposed by the use of current space hardware.”
Given this language, ESA seems to be wanting to innovate a new type of astronaut gear that would allow individuals that are not of a specific height or build to become an astronaut. Since the inception of the space agencies around the world, the gear astronauts wear while in orbit have changed relatively little and are identical across different agencies.
According to Nasa’s website, a candidate must be between 62 (5’2’’, 157.5 cm) and 75 (6’2”, 190.5 cm) inches when standing to be able to fit into both the gear and the rocket launch compartments.
Now, ESA hopes to widen the scope of applicants to those below 52 (4’2”, 130 cm) inches. To do so will open up a new category of people that were previously barred from participating in space exploration. The move to lower the height will also mean that scientists must rethink current astronaut gear to fit a greater diversity of builds, causing them to reimagine a part of space exploration that has sat stagnate for decades.
Redefining Who Can be Considered as an Astronaut
Below average height is not the only physical disability that the pilot program of the Parastronaut Feasibility Project will welcome. Using the classification system used by the international Paralympic committee to assess which physical disabilities could realistically not impair the critical duties of an astronaut, ESA has also deemed people who have lower limb deficiencies to be considered. This includes anyone who has amputations of one or both limbs below the knee as well as people who have congenital limb deficiencies below the knee. ESA additionally added on one more category for their pilot group: people who have leg length discrepancies.
The categories of physical disabilities allowed so far in the project are few and far between but are greatly important to show that people with physical disabilities can be astronauts. The hope is that more space agencies will take note and launch their own disability inclusion initiatives. Along the way, the definition of an astronaut may change even more to include a person in a wheelchair, a person with cerebral palsy, a person that is blind or deaf, and many more.
What matters is not that a person with a physical disability becomes the 551st astronaut. What matters is the young boys and girls who will see themselves represented like they never have been before. What matters is changing the perception of who an astronaut can be, one step at a time.
This pilot program is the first step to a better, more inclusive future here on earth and in the stars.
Want to learn more about the ESA’s Parastronaut Feasibility Project? Check out these two articles!
- https://www.esa.int/About_Us/Careers_at_ESA/ESA_Astronaut_Selection/Parastronaut_feasibility_project
Want to know more about NASA’s current requirements to be an astronaut? Check out this PDF!
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