John McFall in sea survival training

ESA astronaut class of 2022 during sea survival. John McFall is on the left of the image.

The European Space Agency is exploring whether it would be possible for an astronaut with a physical disability to embark on a mission to the International Space Station (ISS) with the ‘Fly!’ Feasibility study. At the heart of Fly! is John McFall, a former Paralympic athlete and orthopaedic surgeon from the UK who became a leg amputee at age 19 following a motorcycle accident. John was selected to join ESA’s astronaut reserve and became a key figure in Fly! His unique perspective and expertise are invaluable as a subject matter expert in the study.  

Since June 2023, John has been involved in familiarisation classes and activities linked to astronaut training at the European Astronaut Centre (EAC) and beyond. His involvement has been instrumental in understanding how an astronaut with a physical disability like John would respond to some of the key challenges posed by astronaut training and spaceflight. 

During astronaut basic training, candidates undergo water and winter survival training to prepare for any eventuality, including the possibility of a spacecraft landing in remote or unexpected locations, such as the sea.

The group included ESA astronaut candidates Sophie Adenot, Rosemary Coogan, Pablo Álvarez Fernández, Raphaël Liégeois, and Marco Sieber, ESA member of the reserve John McFall, alongside Katherine Bennell-Pegg from the Australian Space Agency. The candidates are currently undergoing basic astronaut training and familiarisation primarily conducted at ESA’s European Astronaut Centre (EAC) in Cologne, Germany.