John McFall, the Astronaut Flag Bearer at the Paris Paralympics, Is Ready to Fly

This story originally appeared on WIRED Italia and has been translated from Italian.

John McFall’s sporting record alone would be enough to justify him being the flag bearer for the 2024 Paralympics. He won silver in the 100 meters (T42) and bronze in the 200 meters at the 2006 IPC World Championships; was world champion in the 100 and 200 meters at the 2007 IWAS World Games; won the 2007 Paralympic World Cup in the 200 meters as well as picking up silver in the 100 meters; and was a bronze medalist in the 100 meters at the 2008 Paralympic Games.

But on top of his sporting achievements, McFall—who has retired from athletics—today has the distinction of being the first para-astronaut to work with a space agency, the European Space Agency. And so at yesterday’s opening ceremony for the Paris Games, McFall was selected to represent not just one of the 168 participating delegations—in his case Great Britain and Northern Ireland—but the Paralympics as a whole.

Since November 2022, McFall has been a reserve in the ESA’s astronaut corps, as well as a key player in the agency’s Fly! feasibility study, which aims to “understand and challenge the limitations posed by physical disabilities to human spaceflight.” It is hard to imagine a more ambitious goal than trying to extend the opportunity for space exploration to all.

Born in 1981, McFall had his right leg amputated above the knee after a motorcycle accident when he was 19. He went on to pursue a career in athletics and to study exercise science and medicine, completing core surgical training in general surgery, urology, trauma, and orthopedics in 2018.

Since June 2023, McFall has participated in core familiarization courses and activities at the European Astronaut Centre in Cologne, Germany, to investigate the challenges his disability might pose during a long stay in space. This research has found, among other things, that McFall would be able to evacuate the International Space Station in an emergency, and to use exercise equipment on the space station, such as treadmills or exercise bikes, to counteract the muscle-wasting effects of weightlessness.

WIRED spoke with McFall, just hours before he paraded in Paris, about what his selection as flag bearer represents. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

WIRED: John, why is it important that you are the flag bearer for the Paralympics?

John McFall: It is, first of all, personal: As a former runner, being in the place where the athletes will stay for the next 10 days brings with it many memories. I am equally honored to have been chosen to represent all the athletes of these Games and also all the past ones, because I consider myself the fruit of the Paralympic movement.

In addition, I believe that what the ESA is doing with the feasibility study, and what we are trying to do so that an individual with physical disabilities can travel in space, can help give wide visibility and change the perception of disability. The Paralympics play a central role in this awareness process.

Talking about resilience today is almost rhetorical. How does one deal with trauma like that which you experienced?

I don’t think I ever consciously decided to deal with it; it was a natural process. It’s not like one fine day I found myself thinking, “OK, now I have to deal with my trauma.”

I’m more inclined to believe that people who go through and overcome something like mine do so by embracing their new situation, in a process that, at least for me, was driven by a desire to do things that I was passionate about, that I was interested in. Simply by doing them, I felt rewarded and gained a new sense of identity, with my new life, with disability. At least for me, the most important reaction was to find something that could give me joy. Science, academia and, in particular, sports did that.

Speaking of science and training, can you describe the Fly! feasibility study and its results?

The ESA is the first space agency in the world to ask whether physical disability is compatible with the activities of a professional astronaut. Fly! tried to answer that by focusing on my specific case. The study considered the requirements of a long stay in space and analyzed them systematically.

At first we studied how my disabilities and prosthesis might affect my ability to meet the requirements in-flight. At a later stage we went into detail, to the point of figuring out, for example, whether I should compulsorily use my prosthesis in space, since legs are hardly used there.

In summary, I can say that although I would need the prosthesis at some stages, disabilities like mine fully meet the needs of space travel. I am very happy to say that we have not identified any hiccups capable of precluding a person with disabilities like mine from a long-duration space mission. This has an incredible positive outcome.

Why is it important that people with disabilities can also operate in space? And what specific disabilities are we talking about?

I’ll start with the second question. Fly! looked at a specific group of disabilities, those in the lower limbs. From the results I think we can extrapolate different variables in that group that are compatible with long-duration space missions. We need to progress step by step, starting with the basics, and I am sure that starting to study lower limb disabilities was a good choice. I hope we can soon focus on other disabilities, which allows me to answer the first part of the question: Why is it important?

The ESA recognizes that talented people can boast different histories and backgrounds—meaning gender, sex, ethnicity, physical abilities. Everywhere in the world there are those who could make valuable contributions to human space exploration. Of course, this involves becoming astronauts.

And the experience and knowledge of people with physical disabilities can bring new and valuable ideas, different ways of thinking, motivation, inspiration. For this to happen, everyone needs to have fair representation among the staff, with appropriate professional positions and roles. This is a goal, and the ESA is working to achieve it.

In September, the Polaris Dawn mission is expected to take off from Cape Canaveral, and will feature the first spacewalk by nonprofessional astronauts. What do you think?

They are inspiring and no less important in the landscape of human exploration of the cosmos, because every time these missions become a reality, they help enrich the knowledge we have as a community. Polaris Dawn is doing new science; it’s testing new technologies. That’s why I have great respect for private astronauts and their missions—they make a major contribution to the advancement of our space activities.

When are you going into space?

I would love to travel beyond the atmosphere. I hope to have the opportunity, but what I hope most is that sooner or later someone with physical disabilities will be able to do it, fully integrated into the activities on the International Space Station.

About the timing, I hope that at the end of this decade it can happen. As for me, if I ever have the opportunity to fly in space, it will not be before 2027. But nothing is confirmed, and I am keeping my fingers crossed at the moment.