AstroAccess

Outer space is not just the final frontier: it's a call to rethink life on Earth. In zero gravity, what is standing up? What is lying down? What does it mean to be unable to walk if no one there is walking? How does that shift our understanding of disability? AstroAccess has launched a diverse group of disabled scientists, veterans, students, athletes, and artists on a historic ZERO-G parabolic flight, as the first step in a progression toward flying a diverse range of people to space. They carried out lunar gravity, Martian gravity, and zero gravity observations and experiments investigating how the physical environment aboard space vessels should be modified so that all astronauts and explorers, regardless of disability on Earth, can live, work, and thrive in space. The first mission flew on ZERO-G in the second half of 2021, with the ultimate goal of flying one or more team members to space in the coming years. The project has secured the majority of its funding from the Whitesides Foundation and is now looking to engage with relevant partner organizations.