Space diversity: Europe's space agency gets 1st parastronaut

McFall, a British former Paralympic sprinter, will take part in a potentially groundbreaking feasibility study to explore whether physical disability will impair space travel. Photos: Francois Mori/AP

The European Space Agency made history on Nov 23 by selecting an amputee who lost his leg in a motorcycle accident to be among its newest batch of astronauts – a leap toward its pioneering ambition to send someone with a physical disability into space.

John McFall, a 41-year-old Briton who lost his right leg when he was 19 and went on to compete in the Paralympics, called his selection at Europe's answer to Nasa "a real turning point and mark in history”.