British Paralympian is European Space Agency's first disabled astronaut

From Paralympian to para-astronaut, it has been quite a journey for John McFaul. He lost part of a leg in a motorbike accident, won the 100 metres bronze in Beijing and is now the world's first disabled astronaut, testing the feasibility of working on the International Space Station. When you look at really the fine detail of what you're required to do in microgravity, you use your limbs in different ways. So the real answer is we don't know whether being an amputee is a benefit or a disadvantage. And do you wear a prosthesis or do you not wear a prosthesis? So this is the whole reason why we're doing this feasibility project, is to work those sorts of things out. Two others from the UK were among the successful astronauts taken on by the European Space Agency. Almost 23,000 people applied. Megan Christian will join the reserves. Rosemary Coogan is one of five to start training in Germany next year for a future mission, perhaps to the moon. It would be absolutely incredible. We haven't had a European on the moon and I think that's going to mean so much both to me and hopefully to the whole of Europe, to see that happen, to see the European leadership and autonomy increase and to achieve that. And it will. ESA made a big push for diversity. Half the intake are women, but they're still all white and the space agency will look at why people from ethnic minority backgrounds aren't making it through the selection process. Britain's science minister said the inclusion of a disabled astronaut showed space could be for all. I think for many people in Britain, the highlight of the last ten or so years was the Olympics, London 2012, and for many people the Paralympics was perhaps even more inspiring than the normal Olympics because it showed the triumph of the human spirit against the obstacles of life and that's the stuff that drives people to do extraordinary things. NASA's Orion spacecraft is now orbiting the moon on a test flight for landing humans on the surface. Three Europeans will be given seats this decade. There is always huge excitement about the selection of new astronauts. The rest of us don't stand much chance of making the grade, but through them we can be spellbound by space exploration. The moon is just a stepping stone. Europe's new astronaut trainees are walking on air today, perhaps on Mars tomorrow. Thomas More, Sky News in Paris.