Sincethebeginningofthespaceprogram,we’veexpectedastronautstobefully-abledathleticoverachievers—one-partsciencegeeks,two-parttriathletes—amixthewriterTomWolfecalled“therightstuff.”

Butwhatif,thiswholetime,we’vehaditwrong?

Inthisepisodefrom2022,reporterAndrewLelandjoinsblindLinguisticsProfessorSheriWells-Jensenandacrewof11otherdisabledpeople.Theyembarkonamissiontoprovenotjustthattheyhavewhatittakestogotospace,butthatdisabilitygivesthemanedge.OnMissionAstroAccess,thecrewmembershoponanairplanetotakeazero-gravityflight—thesameNASAusestotrainastronauts.Withthem,welearnthatthechallengestomakingspaceaccessiblemaynotbetheoneswethought.AndAndrew,whoislegallyblind,confrontsunexpectedconclusionsofhisown.

Bytheway,Andrew’snewbookisout.InTheCountryoftheBlind:AMemoirattheEndofSight (https://zpr.io/nLZ8H),Andrewrecountshistransitionfromsightedtoblind.Suspendedbetweenanxietyandanticipation,healsobeginstoexplorethemanyfacetsofblindnessasaculture.It’swellwortharead. 

ReadthearticlebySheriWells-Jensen,publishedinTheScientificAmericanin2018.“TheCaseforDisabledAstronaut”(https://zpr.io/nLZ8H). 

ThisepisodewasreportedbyAndrewLelandandproducedbyMaríaPazGutiérrez,MattKieltyandPatWalters.JeremyBloomcontributedmusicandsounddesign.ProductionsoundrecordingbyDanMcCoy.SpecialthankstoWilliamPomerantz,SheynaGifford,JimVanderploeg,TimBailey,andBillBarry

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