john mcfall lost a leg in an accident as a teenager and has been given a taste of what life will be likeorbit as part of a groundbreaking study into living and working in space. our science editor rebecca morelle joined him on a test flight. >> john mcfall is an astronaut candidate with a difference. he is an amputee. eg in a motorcycle accident when he was a teenager. >> they announced they were looking for an astronaut with a physical disability. i looked at the specifications and i went, i have that. i like doing tha i have this degree. yeah. that sums good. i said, wow, this sounds really interesting. >> john is getting his first taste of space on a parabolic flight where you experience weightlessness. the flight works by the plane climbing extremely steeply. it takes a team of three to control and maneuver. the plane then arcs to begin its dissent. here we go. i joined john for his and mine first light. i am spending. oh. the ground is moving away from you. it is really hard to actually control where you are going. this is the closest we can get to experiencing what being astronaut

john mcfall is an astronaut candidate with a difference. he's working with the european space agency to see if a person with a disability can go to space. esa had announced that they were looking for an astronaut with a physical disability, and i looked at the person specification and i kind of went, "oh, yeah, i've got that... i like — yeah, i like doing that. i've got this degree, yeah. i can do... oh, yeah, that sounds good." and i was like, "wow, this is... this sounds really interesting." john's getting his first taste of space on a parabolic flight, where you experience periods of weightlessness. the flight works by the plane climbing extremely steeply. it takes a team of three to control the manoeuvre. the plane then arcs to begin its descent. here we go. i joined john for his — and my — first flight. ooh! help, help, help, help, help! i'm spinning! we're spinning! i want to come down! ooh! it is like the ground is moving away from you. it's really hard to actually control where you're going. as you can see, it's hard to master, but

john mcfall is an astronaut candidate with a difference. amazing! he's an amputee. were looking for astronauts with a physical disability. i looked at the personal specification and i kind of went, yeah, i've got that, yeah, i like doing that, i've got this degree, yep. oh, yeah, that sounds good. i was like, this sounds really interesting. john's getting his first taste of space on a parabolic flight where you experience periods of weightlessness. the flight works by the plain are climbing extremely steeply. it takes a team of three to control the manoeuvre. the plane then arcs to complete its descent. here we go. i joined john for his and my first flight. 0h! oh, help! i want to come down. 0h! it's like the ground. it's moving away from you. it's really hard to actually control where you're going. as you can see, it's hard to master. this is the closest that we can get to experience of what being an astronaut is like. john, how are you finding it? look at this! i mean, where do you get this? how did this happen? 0h! the flight is a chance to see howjohn's prosthes

john mcfall is an astronaut candidate with a difference. amazing! he candidate with a difference.he is an amputee. he lost his let in amazing! he is an amputee. he lost his leg in a — amazing! he is an amputee. he lost his leg in a motorcycle _ amazing! he is an amputee. he lost his leg in a motorcycle accident - his leg in a motorcycle accident when he was a teenager. esa had announced that they were looking for astronauts with a physical disability. i looked at the personal specification and i kind of went, yeah, i've got that, yeah, i like doing that, i've got this degree, yep. oh, yeah, that sounds good. i was like, this sounds really interesting. john's getting his first taste of space on a parabolic flight where you experience periods of weightlessness. the flight works by the plane climbing extremely steeply. it takes a team of three to control the manoeuvre. the plane then arcs to begin its descent. here we go. i joined john for his and my first flight. 0h! 0h, help! iam spinning! i am spinning! i want to come down. it's like the ground is moving away from you. it's really

john mcfall is an astronaut candidate with a difference. amazing! he�*s an amputee.ah, i�*ve got that, yeah, i like doing that, "i�*ve got this degree, yep. "oh, yeah, that sounds good." i was like, this sounds really interesting. john�*s getting his first taste of space on a parabolic flight where you experience periods of weightlessness. the flight works by the plane are climbing extremely steeply. it takes a team of three to control the manoeuvre. the plane then arcs to begin its descent. here we go. i joined john for his and my first flight. 0h! 0h, help! i want to come down. 0h! it�*s like the ground is moving away from you. it�*s really hard to actually control where you�*re going. as you can see, it�*s hard to master. this is the closest that we can get to experience of what being an astronaut is like. john, how are you finding it? look at this! i mean, where do you get this? how did this happen? 0h! the flight is a chance to see howjohn�*s prosthesis responds to weightlessness. in normal gravity, if you look here, the knee bends under normal gravity. but when

john mcfall is an astronaut candidate with a difference.ager. now he's working with the european space agency to see if a person with a disability can go to space. esa had announced that they were looking for an astronaut with a physical disability, and i looked at the person specification and i kind of went, "oh, yeah, i've got that... i like — yeah, i like doing that. i've got this degree, yeah. i can do... oh, yeah, that sounds good." and i was like, "wow, this is... this sounds really interesting." john's getting his first taste of space on a parabolic flight, where you experience periods of weightlessness. the flight works by the plane climbing extremely steeply. it takes a team of three to control the manoeuvre. the plane then arcs to begin its descent. here we go. i joined john for his — and my — first flight. ooh! help, help, help, help, help! i'm spinning! we're spinning! i want to come down! ooh! it is like the ground is moving away from you. it's really hard to actually control where you're going. as you can see, it's hard to mas

astronaut has taken part in a flying exercise to experience weightlessness for the first time. john mcfallical disability can live and work in space. the flight gives him a chance to use his prosthetic leg in a weightless environment. he looks pretty happy there but we can find out more because hejoins us from salford. good afternoon, and also to tell everyone you are a former british paralympian and were recruited as the space agency's first para astronaut, and you are smiling there, i hope that is because you remember that feeling of weightlessness. a big smile on your face and the pictures. how was it? yes, i am smiling because it was a great _ yes, i am smiling because it was a great experience and what a pretty unique _ great experience and what a pretty unique experience. it is difficult to describe to people what it is like until— to describe to people what it is like until you do it. but, yeah, a great _ like until you do it. but, yeah, a great experience and a good learning opportunity. why great experience and a good learning o- ortuni . ~ , great experience and a good learning o

john. still happy with signing up to be a astronaut? absolutely! absolutely, yeah. you haven�*t made a terrible mistake? not at all. i can�*t wait. so, forjohn mcfall feels like because until you feel it— you what it feels like because until you feel it you will not know. probably _ you feel it you will not know. probably the most akin i can make it is when _ probably the most akin i can make it is when you — probably the most akin i can make it is when you are in a swimming pool and you— is when you are in a swimming pool and you are— is when you are in a swimming pool and you are completely floating but you don't _ and you are completely floating but you don't have the resistance of the water— you don't have the resistance of the water around you and the sensory deficit _ water around you and the sensory deficit with your hearing and that stuff _ deficit with your hearing and that stuff. combined with falling out of an aeroplane type feeling. canl stuff. combined with falling out of an aeroplane type feeling. can i ask an aeroplane type feeling. can i ask a stuid an aeroplane type feeling. can i ask a stupid question? _ an aeroplane type feeling.