"When it comes to space travel, we are all disabled"

February 16, 2021 3:22 PM

As part of its latest astronaut selection, the European Space Agency is seeking to recruit one or more 'Parastronauts' to examine and demonstrate the feasibility of selecting astronauts who would otherwise be fully qualified for spaceflight but who would be excluded from normal selection criteria by disability.

As current ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti notes, "we did not evolve to go to space so when it comes to space travel, we are all disabled. What brings us from being disabled to go to space to being able to go to space is just technology."

Tim Peake, another current ESA astronaut, also emphasised that what may be seen as disability on Earth would not necessarily be so in space. "As an astronaut who has lived and worked in weightlessness… there are many, many things that you can achieve without necessarily utilising the lower limbs. It is the right time to be asking those probing questions, the right time to be thinking ‘Actually it’s about ability not about disability’ – and is it feasible, is it possible to actually have people with disabilities flying in space?"

Quoting further from the BBC report:
"To be absolutely clear, we're not looking to hire a space tourist that happens also to have a disability," said Dr David Parker, the director of ESA's robotics and human spaceflight programme. "To be very explicit, this individual would do a meaningful space mission. So, they would need to do the science; they would need to participate in all the normal operations of the International Space Station."

Having reviewed the IOC's Paralympic categories against the physical capabilities required of astronauts, ESA will be considering the following candidates who meet other educational and medical requirements for astronaut selection:

- Persons who have a lower limb deficiency (e.g. due to amputation or congenital limb deficiency) as follows:
-- single or double foot deficiency through ankle (lisfranc amputation)
-- single or double leg deficiency below the knee
- Persons who have a leg length difference (missing or shortened limbs at birth or as a result of trauma)
- Persons of short stature (<130 cm)

posted by Major Clanger (12 comments total)

Well, call me when they are looking for blind astronauts.
posted by Alensin at 3:36 PM on February 16, 2021 [10 favorites]

This is fantastic! Thank you for posting, I hadn't heard this.
posted by tiny frying pan at 3:38 PM on February 16, 2021

the IOC's Paralympic categories

The IPC's classifications, actually (they're a separate -- but parallel, hence "para" -- body).

See also: The Gallaudet Eleven.

I'll shut up now and go read the links.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 3:46 PM on February 16, 2021 [1 favorite]

I apologize, my first comment might have come off as grumpy. I'm very happy for the people whom this opportunity will benefit. I've had a slightly less than pleasant afternoon, and am not at my best. I wish I could apply.
posted by Alensin at 3:47 PM on February 16, 2021 [15 favorites]

when it comes to space travel, we are all disabled - brilliant!
posted by doctornemo at 3:53 PM on February 16, 2021 [3 favorites]

Persons who have a leg length difference (missing or shortened limbs at birth or as a result of trauma)

1.5" reporting for duty! I'M GOING TO EURO-SPACE!
posted by The Tensor at 4:13 PM on February 16, 2021 [1 favorite]

Very cool. I feel like anyone who's moderately skilled at para-climbing would be excellent at operating in microgravity.
posted by rmd1023 at 5:22 PM on February 16, 2021 [1 favorite]

I apologize, my first comment might have come off as grumpy.

For what it is worth, I didn't read that as grumpy as much as it was making an interesting point. Just like the ESA is acknowledging that the selection criteria are likely excluding people who could easily do the same job (and in fact, one can easily imagine how a supposedly "disabled" astronaut could have advantages), is vision really necessary for sitting in a windowless canister in orbit?
posted by Dip Flash at 5:30 PM on February 16, 2021 [5 favorites]

In space no one can hear what you see so why not smell what you say as you drift alone. This is going to be awesome. The different blocs sending their gifted to compete for resources in the realm beyond the senses. Whee! Whee.

I don't know. When I was a kid I thought we'd be in space as one people by y2k. It's kinda smacking of the scramble for Africa to me. What's going to happen when somebody finds that first thing of immense value when we are so divided down here?
posted by Mr. Yuck at 6:23 PM on February 16, 2021 [1 favorite]

Short stature seems like, if anything, a benefit. Less food and water needed and the quarters will feel positively capacious!

But I suppose if everyone shares space suits, floating around in something designed to fit people a foot taller would be more than a little awkward...
posted by Trifling at 9:57 PM on February 16, 2021 [1 favorite]

I know this isn't the point of the program, but when you see discussion of spaceflight is it usually in terms of cost per weight unit ($/lb, or in this case €/kg) to get something into orbit.

Sending up smaller people or people with fewer appendages means you can send up more supplies per launch and still have a fully trained and competent astronaut in space.

Extrapolating from a purely financial point of view, where is the age/education tradeoff in sending younger astronauts? It's Ender's Game from here on out.
posted by Badgermann at 6:50 AM on February 17, 2021

This is actually a framing that has helped me reach people skeptical of disability activism, and it's great to see it in the real world. It is easy to assume our constructed world is natural, or to make comparisons between it and to natural barriers, but when you move the context to space travel, where the entire human environment is essentially assistive technology, it's much easier to see how it is not only the capabilities of our bodies, but the assumptions of our environment which determine the extent to which a disability is an impediment. Of course this is extremely simplified and does not get into the social factors, but it does reach people.
posted by Nothing at 4:07 AM on February 18, 2021 [2 favorites]