John McFall: Para-astronaut on a mission to open up space - BBC News

John McFall is studying whether it's possible for someone with a physical disability to go to space.

13 hours agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingImage source, ESAImage caption, Every trainee astronaut has to take a spin in a giant centrifugeBy Rebecca Morelle and Alison Francis BBC News Science Former Paralympian John McFall is working with the European Space Agency on a ground-breaking study to see if it's feasible for someone with a physical disability to live and work in space. BBC News has been following his progress as he undergoes astronaut training.

It's a test that any budding astronaut has to go through. But it's not for the fainthearted - or the claustrophobic.

With a clang, the door slams shut, enclosing John McFall in the darkness of a coffin-sized metal box.

The spinning begins.

He's in a giant centrifuge, being whizzed around and around, to mimic the extreme gravitational forces of a rocket launch - and the even more extreme G-Forces of coming back down.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-68939004

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