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Three Britons – including the world’s first ever ‘parastronaut’ – are among the European Space Agency’s first new cohort of astronauts in almost 15 years.
John McFall, Rosemary Coogan and Meganne Christian have been named in a class of 17 men and women chosen from a whopping 22,523 applicants.
They will be hoping to follow in the footsteps of current British astronaut Tim Peake, who spent six months on the International Space Station (ISS) in 2016.
Mr McFall, 41, said he hoped to inspire others and show that ‘space is for everyone’ after being named as the world’s first ever disabled astronaut
The father-of-three had to have his right leg amputated following a motorbike accident at the age of 19.
He learned to run again and became a professional track and field athlete in 2005, before going on to win a bronze medal for Team GB in the 100m at the Beijing Paralympic Games in 2008.
ESA’s announcement does not mean Mr McFall is guaranteed to go into orbit — he will be part of a feasibility programme to see what the requirements would be for that to be possible.
But Northern Ireland-born Ms Coogan is among five ‘career’ astronauts who are guaranteed flights if they come though their training.
She becomes the UK’s third ever astronaut after Peake and Helen Sharman.
Her selection alongside French woman Sophie Adenot also means that Samantha Cristoforetti is no longer ESA’s sole female astronaut.
A further six women, including Ms Christian, were chosen as one of 11 astronaut reservists who will continue their normal jobs and not enter astronaut training straight away, although they could be called upon at a later date.
Ms Coogan said she was ‘incredibly excited’ to have been selected and to have the opportunity of potentially going to the ISS or the moon.
Shooting for the stars: Three Britons – including the first ever ‘parastronaut’ – are among the European Space Agency’s first new cohort of astronauts in almost 15 years. John McFall (pictured), Rosemary Coogan and Meganne Christian have been named in a class of 17
The father-of-three had to have his right leg amputated following a motorbike accident at the age of 19. He learned to run again and went on to win a bronze medal for Team GB in the 100m at the Beijing Paralympic Games in 2008 (pictured)
John McFall, Rosemary Coogan (pictured left) and Meganne Christian (right) were chosen out of a whopping 22,523 applicants
The British hopefuls chosen follow in the footsteps of Helen Sharman and Tim Peake – who was the first British ESA-astronaut
Mr McFall has a background in sports and exercise science and completed his bachelor’s degree at Swansea University.
He became a member of the Royal College of Surgeons in 2016 and is currently a Trauma and Orthopaedic Specialist Registrar working in the south of England.
People with physical disabilities have previously been excluded from one of the most exclusive and demanding jobs on Earth – and beyond – due to strict selection requirements.
But after carrying out a feasibility study, ESA said potential candidates could include people who have deficiencies in their lower limbs, whether from amputation or congenital defects.
Ms Coogan holds two master’s degrees from the University of Durham and a doctorate in astronomy from the University of Sussex.
From a young age, she spent several weeks a year away from home onboard military training vessels and land bases as a Cadet Petty Officer with the Sea Cadets from 2002 to 2009.
In her leisure time, she enjoys rowing, scuba diving, hiking, cycling, kayaking and yoga.
Her other interests include playing the piano, cooking, board games and spending time with her family and friends.
The ESA Astronaut Class of 2022 was announced at 15:40 CET (14:40 GMT) during the agency’s ministerial council in Paris.
As well as Ms Coogan and Ms Adenot, the five ‘career’ astronauts chosen to go straight into active training included Pablo Álvarez Fernández, from Spain, Raphaël Liégeois, from Belgium, and Marco Sieber, from Switzerland.
The 11 astronaut reservists also include Nicola Winter, from Germany, Marcus Wandt, from Sweden, Anthea Comellini, from Italy, Sara García Alonso, from Spain, and Andrea Patassa, from Italy.
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Carmen Possnig, from Austria, Arnaud Prost, from France, Amelie Schoenenwald, from Germany, Aleš Svoboda, from the Czech Republic, and Sławosz Uznański, from Poland, round out the class.
Ready to lift-off: The European Space Agency has revealed its new class of astronauts
Ms Coogan’s selection alongside French woman Sophie Adenot (pictured left) means that Samantha Cristoforetti is no longer ESA’s sole female astronaut. Pablo Álvarez Fernández (right), from Spain, was also chosen as a ‘career’ astronaut
As well as Ms Coogan, Ms Adenot and Mr Fernández, the five ‘career’ astronauts chosen to go straight into active training included Raphaël Liégeois (left), from Belgium, and Marco Sieber (right), from Switzerland
They were announced during the European Space Agency’s ministerial council in Paris
Briton Ms Christian also holds Italian, Australian and New Zealand citizenship.
She studied at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia, and graduated in 2009 with a Bachelor of Engineering in industrial chemistry.
From 2018 to 2019, Ms Christian worked as a scientist at the Concordia station in Antarctica. She returned there again from October 2020 to January 2021.
Ms Christian’s favourite sports include climbing, white-water rafting, and scuba diving.
She holds a black belt in Hapkido and enjoys crafts such as sewing, knitting and crochet.
The new astronaut reservist is also an avid singer and active in multiple choirs, where she has acted as board member and assistant choreographer.
Dr Paul Bate, chief executive of the UK Space Agency, said the selection of three Britons was ‘a momentous day for the UK Space Agency, our space sector and the country as a whole’.
He added: ‘Space has an incredible power to inspire and I am sure Rosemary, John and Meganne will become heroes for many young people and inspire them to shoot for the stars.
The 11 astronaut reservists include Sara García Alonso (pictured left), from Spain, and Anthea Comellini (right), from Italy
Aleš Svoboda (pictured left), from the Czech Republic, and Nicola Winter (right), from Germany were also named as members of the astronaut reserve
The reserve astronauts also include Andrea Patassa (pictured left), from Italy, and Amelie Schoenenwald (right), from Germany
‘It’s also important to remember that, behind every astronaut, there is a dedicated team of people, including in the UK, working behind the scenes to achieve the incredible.’
UK science minister George Freeman, who was in Paris for today’s announcement, said it was a ‘sign of international respect for both UK space scientists and the UK’s commitment to space for all’.
‘I congratulate Rosemary, John and Meganne on their remarkable achievement and look forward to them inspiring a new generation,’ he added.
ESA’s new career astronauts will take up duty at the European Astronaut Centre in Cologne, Germany.
After completion of the 12-month basic training, the new astronauts will be ready to enter the next space station training phase and, once assigned to a mission, their training will be tailored to specific mission tasks.
Marcus Wandt (pictured left), from Sweden, and Carmen Possnig (right), from Austria, were chosen for the reserve list
Arnaud Prost (pictured left), from France, and Sławosz Uznański (right), from Poland, round out the reserve members
They will initially fly to the ISS, but could ultimately travel to the moon, or even further.
ESA has secured three astronaut trips to the Lunar Gateway due to be built in orbit around the moon, and hopes to be able to send Europeans to the surface of our natural satellite in the future.
Applicants were only eligible if they were an experimental test pilot or held a master’s degree or higher in Natural Sciences, Medicine, Engineering, Mathematics or Computer Sciences.
Fluency in English was also essential, as too was the ability to be calm under pressure and a willingness to participate in life science experiments.
The largest number of applications came from France (7,087), followed by Germany (3,695) and the UK (2,000).
