He has been selected using exactly the same criteria as all european astronauts. the only difference is he has a disability. i thought i would have the skills, the mix of skills and scientific background that i could really help them answer this very aspirational question of, can we get someone with a physical disability into space, to work in space safely? all astronauts have to undergo rigorous training. part ofjohn s job will be to test how the kits like spacesuits and spacecraft need to be adapted. his selection doesn t mean he will definitely get to go into space but esa wants to pave the way to make it happen. to people who have lived with disability, who have overcome the challenges throughout their life, the challenge of going into space, they bring something extra compared to the rest of the crew and that is what we really want to bring through this project. the last time a british astronaut got one of the jobs was more than a decade ago. ....