Paralympian Astronaut’s Prosthetic Leg Faces Poison Fears during Space Station Testing – The Irish Times

Could a disabled astronaut’s prosthetic leg be poisoning the air inside a space station? Former British Paralympian John McFall is facing this concern as the European Space Agency (ESA) prepares to test his prosthetic leg for potential toxic gas emissions.

Mr. McFall, who lost his right leg in a motorcycle accident at 19, has been selected to join the ESA and undergo astronaut training, including a feasibility project related to boarding the International Space Station (ISS). Despite his disability, he went on to become a professional track and field athlete, winning a bronze medal at the Beijing Paralympic Games in 2008.

In a recent interview with the Telegraph, Mr. McFall expressed his awareness of the potential issue, stating, “It’s stuff you don’t necessarily think of. The socket is carbon fibre and it’s got like a high-density foam on the inside. The carbon fibre socket is impregnated with a resin. The foam is made with polymers.”

He continued, “Those materials will continue to give off gases to one degree or another and in an environment like the ISS where the air is constantly recycled, any significant amount of gases that are produced from a material will be amplified over a period of time because they’re not filtered out.”

The feasibility study that the ESA is conducting will assess the impact of being an amputee and wearing a prosthesis on the requirements for living and working in space, as well as test possible solutions to any problems that may arise.

A decision on whether Mr. McFall will fly on a mission into space will likely be made after the study concludes in 2025.