Europe Names World’s First Disabled Astronaut 

ESA Astronaut Class of 2022 Meganne Christian (L), John McFall (C), and Rosemary Coogan (R) pose during a ceremony to unveil the European Space Agency new class of career astronauts in Paris on November 23, 2022. (AFP)
ESA Astronaut Class of 2022 Meganne Christian (L), John McFall (C), and Rosemary Coogan (R) pose during a ceremony to unveil the European Space Agency new class of career astronauts in Paris on November 23, 2022. (AFP)
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Europe Names World’s First Disabled Astronaut 

ESA Astronaut Class of 2022 Meganne Christian (L), John McFall (C), and Rosemary Coogan (R) pose during a ceremony to unveil the European Space Agency new class of career astronauts in Paris on November 23, 2022. (AFP)
ESA Astronaut Class of 2022 Meganne Christian (L), John McFall (C), and Rosemary Coogan (R) pose during a ceremony to unveil the European Space Agency new class of career astronauts in Paris on November 23, 2022. (AFP)

The European Space Agency on Wednesday named the first ever "parastronaut" in a major step towards allowing people with physical disabilities to work and live in space. 

The 22-nation agency said it had appointed British Paralympic sprinter John McFall to take part in a feasibility study during astronaut training to assess the conditions needed for people with disabilities to take part in future missions. 

The announcement came as ESA appointed a new set of astronauts for the first time since 2009 after whittling down 22,500 valid applications. 

ESA posted openings last year for people fully capable of passing its usual stringent psychological, cognitive and other tests who are only prevented from becoming astronauts due to the constraints of existing hardware in light of their disability. 

It received 257 applications for the role of astronaut with a disability. 

McFall will work with ESA engineers to understand what changes in hardware are needed to open professional spaceflight to a wider group of qualified candidates, the agency said.  



Massive New Los Angeles-area Fire Balloons as Winds Pick Up

Firefighters battle the Hughes Fire near Castaic Lake, north of Santa Clarita, California, US January 22, 2025. REUTERS/Ringo Chiu
Firefighters battle the Hughes Fire near Castaic Lake, north of Santa Clarita, California, US January 22, 2025. REUTERS/Ringo Chiu
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Massive New Los Angeles-area Fire Balloons as Winds Pick Up

Firefighters battle the Hughes Fire near Castaic Lake, north of Santa Clarita, California, US January 22, 2025. REUTERS/Ringo Chiu
Firefighters battle the Hughes Fire near Castaic Lake, north of Santa Clarita, California, US January 22, 2025. REUTERS/Ringo Chiu

Powerful winds and bone-dry conditions were expected to pose a challenge to firefighters battling new wildfires in southern California on Thursday, including a new blaze that swelled over the past day, forcing tens of thousands of people to evacuate north of Los Angeles.

The Hughes fire, about 50 miles (80 km) north of Los Angeles, grew to 10,176 acres (4,118 hectares) since igniting on Wednesday morning, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire, said on its website.

The 4,000 firefighters battling the blaze have achieved 14% containment, a measure of the percentage of a fire's perimeter that is under control, Cal Fire added.

Crews fighting the Hughes Fire and two other massive Los Angeles blazes - Palisades and Eaton - were expected to be tested by strong Santa Ana winds of up to 50 miles (80 km) per hour with gusts reaching 65 miles (105 km) per hour and humidity levels dropping below 10% throughout the day and into Friday, forecasters said, Reuters reported.

"Dangerous fire weather conditions will persist through Friday as fuels remain extremely dry and ready to burn, with Thursday the period of greatest concern," the National Weather Service said in an advisory. "Any fire that starts can grow fast and out of control."

About 31,000 people were evacuated on Wednesday as the fire sent huge flames and plumes of smoke over a hilly terrain in the Castaic Lake area near Santa Clarita.

The Eaton and Palisades fires, which leveled entire neighborhoods on the eastern and western flanks of Los Angeles, have killed 28 people and damaged or destroyed nearly 16,000 structures over the past two weeks.

Helicopters battling the Hughes Fire scooped water out of a lake to drop on the fire while airplanes dropped fire retardant on the hills, video on KTLA television showed. Flames spread to the water's edge.

Eyewitness video showed the skies north of Los Angeles tinted orange on Wednesday afternoon as the Hughes Fire expanded rapidly.

A smaller blaze, called the Sepulveda Fire, was burning along the 405 freeway near the Getty Museum - home to numerous art treasures - in the San Fernando Valley on Thursday. The brush fire, which was 40 acres (16 hectares) and 0% contained, briefly caused part of the heavily traveled highway to be closed and some nearby residents to be evacuated overnight.

Southern California has gone without significant rain for nine months, contributing to hazardous conditions, but some rain was forecast from Saturday through Monday, possibly giving firefighters much-needed relief.

As of Thursday morning, the Eaton Fire that scorched about 14,000 acres (5,670 hectares) east of Los Angeles was 95% contained, while the larger Palisades Fire, which has consumed about 23,450 acres (9,490 hectares) on the west side of Los Angeles, stood at 70% contained, Cal Fire said.