The world's first para-astronaut

BRITISH astronaut John McFall could become the first differently abled astronaut to blast off into space

- SUZAAN HALL & ROXANNE MOONEYS

John lost his right leg in a motor­ cycle accident in 2000. He recently completed a simulated zero­gravity flight where he experienced weightlessness for the first time.

John, an avid athlete, was 19 when his leg was amputated below the knee. After being fitted with prosthetics, he became a para­ athlete and won a bronze medal at the 2008 Paralympic Games in Beijing, China.

He went on to become a doctor, but had always wanted to be a space cadet.