John McFall will als erster Astronaut mit Behinderung ins All fliegen

Yes, and apart from sports, there are also many remarkable stories and personalities in the Paralympic Games. For example, John McFaul. The Brit won bronze at the Paralympics in 2008. He is a surgeon and is currently completing an apprenticeship as an astronaut. Because he wants to be the first person to fly into space with a physical disability. It was a goosebump moment. John McFaul wears the flag at the Paralympics opening ceremony in his astronaut overall. I was super proud. That made me reflect on my whole experience, especially at the Paralympics. In 2008, the former sprinter bronze won the 100-meter run at the Paralympics in Beijing. Now the Brit is the first person to fly into space with a disability. Two years ago, the European Space Agency ESA chose him. We meet him in the ESA headquarters in Paris. As a result of a motorcycle accident at the age of 19, McFaul was amputated a leg. Now the goal is that at some point he will fly to the International Space Station, ISS. In the development of spaceships and infrastructure, disability was not taken into account. This is a challenge. They are simply not designed for people with physical disabilities. McFaul in a training with the German astronaut Alexander Gerst. The two are testing on a parabolic flight, whether McFaul can also stabilize with the prosthesis in the weightlessness. A large-scale study on feasibility is currently underway at the ESA. For example, it is being analyzed whether McFaul can react quickly enough in emergencies at the space station. Every part of the body that has a certain function on earth is used in space in a completely different way. Feet, for example. So it's always about adaptation. And that's exactly what people with disabilities can do, adapt. McFaul gets a visit from the ESA. From his German opponent from Beijing and ARD para-expert Heinrich Popov. In 2008, Popov had won silver and McFaul had barely beaten. But the two do not see each other as competitors. Popov even coached the British when he started competitive sports. I'm not surprised that you want to do something crazy like flying into space now. Your approach was always completely different. I pulled through. Not necessarily beautiful, but powerful. And you were always so aesthetic and thought one step further. When they meet again, the two have a lot to talk about. If they have time, they also want to visit a competition together in Paris. Out of old ties. Preferably, of course, athletics.