Will there soon be disabled astronauts in space?
Last March, the European Space Agency (ESA) took the initiative to allow people with disabilities to explore new horizons by opening a process to select disabled astronauts for a future space mission.
After working for ten years at the European Astronaut Center in Cologne, Stefan Jeste Responsible for piloting a feasibility study for this selection of paraastronauts. Outlines the features of the project in the seventh episode of “La Fabrique de l’Espace”.
“Today, the astronaut’s career has evolved,” he explains. “Technologies, too, that allow us to do things aboard the International Space Station that we couldn’t do yesterday. So we wondered if it was time to revise some very strict selection criteria. On a medical level, in order to Try to include other types of characters in the astronaut community.
Through this project, the European Space Agency does not intend to prove that it is possible to transport people with disabilities by air. The agency also hopes to enrich its knowledge by connecting with new talent in ways different from those of healthy astronauts. Stefan Jesty presents the ambitions and next steps for the project.
>> The Space Factory, a podcast presented by Jules Grandsire of the European Space Agency, which introduces us to those who shape space. The astronauts, of course, but also their colleagues on Earth, are wonderful and talented, but they are often overlooked. The RTL podcast, co-produced by Colby Co/T2CS, with support from the European Space Agency.
“Organizer. Social media geek. General communicator. Bacon scholar. Proud pop culture trailblazer.”