May 29, 2024 | DLR and University Hospital Cologne: ESA reserve astronaut John McFall visits paediatric and adolescent rehabilitation centre
Inclusion from Earth to Mars
Presentation of the Muscle Laboratory at UniReha’s Centre for Paediatric and Adolescent Rehabilitation at the University Hospital Cologne
From left: Jörn Rittweger, Institute of Aerospace Medicine at DLR and Faculty of Medicine at the University of Cologne, ESA reserve astronaut John McFall and Eckhard Schönau, medical director of UniReha at University Hospital Cologne.
Collaboration in muscle research between DLR and the Centre for Paediatric and Adolescent Rehabilitation at the University Hospital Cologne
The Muscle Laboratory at UniReha is advancing inclusion with joint research activities
Innovative diagnostics and new therapeutic approaches for astronauts in microgravity and patients on Earth
John McFall, member of the ESA astronaut reserve, will be the first astronaut in the world with a physical disability. He is an impressive example of how inclusion can be lived ‘above and beyond’. This is also the aim of the joint research activities of the German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR), the Clinic for Paediatric and Adolescent Medicine and UniReha's Centre for Paediatric and Adolescent Rehabilitation at the University Hospital Cologne.
During his visit to UniReha's Centre for Paediatric and Adolescent Rehabilitation, John McFall gave a motivational speech: "I am delighted to be here today and to get to know this facility. I am very inspired by all of you and especially by you little patients. I hope my journey so far will give you confidence to embrace your future with courage and ambition and to fulfil your dreams."
After a motorbike accident, McFall underwent a below-knee amputation at the age of 19. His strong will was instrumental in helping him achieve sporting success as a Paralympic athlete alongside his professional training as an orthopaedic and trauma surgeon. In November 2022, he was selected as a member of ESA's astronaut reserve to take part in their 'Fly!' feasibility study. The study aims to investigate and overcome the hurdles that spaceflight presents for astronauts with a physical disability as part of a long-term mission to the International Space Station ISS.
At the presentation of the Muscle Laboratory in UniReha’s Centre for Paediatric and Adolescent Rehabilitation, which uses the same methods as on the ISS, Jörn Rittweger from the DLR Institute of Aerospace Medicine and Faculty of Medicine at the University of Cologne, explained: "Innovative diagnostics and new therapeutic approaches are particularly aimed at maintaining the neuromuscular functionality of astronauts in microgravity and strengthening the participation of patients in social, educational and later professional life on Earth. "
The Muscle Laboratory offers a wide range of opportunities for collaboration between the research team from the DLR Institute of Aerospace Medicine and the University Hospital Cologne. "We want to investigate the consequences of physical inactivity. For astronauts, this means the consequences of microgravity; for children, it means the consequences of congenital genetic diseases with limited mobility, for example," says Eckhard Schönau, medical director of UniReha.
Contact
Prof. Dr. med. Jörn Rittweger
Head of Muscle and Bone Metabolism | Professor of Space Physiology, University of Cologne
