Access All: Disability News and Mental Health

'It was magical' - the first disabled crew to fly in zero-gravity


Listen Later

While millions of people might dream about space travel, with the exacting requirements often expected of astronauts some disabled people might have counted themselves out...until now.

Mission: AstroAccess - a crew of disabled scientists, students and artists based in America - has just launched to make space travel accessible for all the right reasons.

Wouldn't it make sense if a shuttle could be navigated by a blind person so, if the lights went down, everyone could get around? And what about making sign language a requirement so everyone could be in on the conversation? Then again, how does signing work when you're floating upside down?

Mary Cooper, who has a prosthetic leg, and Sina Bahram, who is blind, are two of the crew members who set out to find answers to these questions on board Mission: AstroAccess's first parabolic flight where they floated around in zero gravity.

Presented by Beth Rose.

Subscribe to this podcast on BBC Sounds or say "Ask the BBC for Ouch" to your smart speaker.

Picture credit: Al Powers at Zero Gravity Corporation

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

Access All: Disability News and Mental HealthBy BBC Sounds

  • 4.7
  • 4.7
  • 4.7
  • 4.7
  • 4.7

4.7

67 ratings


More shows like Access All: Disability News and Mental Health

View all
In Our Time by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time

5,412 Listeners

The Documentary Podcast by BBC World Service

The Documentary Podcast

1,843 Listeners

File on 4 Investigates by BBC Radio 4

File on 4 Investigates

38 Listeners

Global News Podcast by BBC World Service

Global News Podcast

7,914 Listeners

6 Minute English by BBC Radio

6 Minute English

1,782 Listeners

Learning English Conversations by BBC Radio

Learning English Conversations

1,050 Listeners

Desert Island Discs by BBC Radio 4

Desert Island Discs

2,025 Listeners

The Infinite Monkey Cage by BBC Radio 4

The Infinite Monkey Cage

1,925 Listeners

Newshour by BBC World Service

Newshour

1,081 Listeners

The Women's Podcast by The Irish Times

The Women's Podcast

122 Listeners

Newscast by BBC News

Newscast

674 Listeners

How To Fail With Elizabeth Day by Elizabeth Day and Sony Music Entertainment

How To Fail With Elizabeth Day

1,306 Listeners

Full Disclosure with James O'Brien by Global

Full Disclosure with James O'Brien

289 Listeners

13 Minutes Presents: The Space Shuttle by BBC World Service

13 Minutes Presents: The Space Shuttle

4,121 Listeners

You're Dead to Me by BBC Radio 4

You're Dead to Me

2,989 Listeners

Sensemaker by The Observer

Sensemaker

17 Listeners

The Great Post Office Trial by BBC Radio 4

The Great Post Office Trial

32 Listeners

This Cultural Life by BBC Radio 4

This Cultural Life

104 Listeners

The Rest Is Politics by Goalhanger

The Rest Is Politics

3,289 Listeners

AntiSocial by BBC Radio 4

AntiSocial

6 Listeners

The News Agents by Global

The News Agents

983 Listeners

The News Meeting by The Observer

The News Meeting

13 Listeners

The Rest Is Entertainment by Goalhanger

The Rest Is Entertainment

819 Listeners

I'm ADHD! No You're Not by Dr Mine Conkbayir MBE & Paul Whitehouse

I'm ADHD! No You're Not

30 Listeners

How Do You Cope? by Wondery

How Do You Cope?

81 Listeners