The Right Stuff

26 snips

Mar 25, 2022

Andrew Leland, a reporter and legally blind individual, joins an inspiring crew of disabled space enthusiasts, including blind linguistics professor Sheri Wells-Jensen, on a mission to challenge the notion of who is fit for space travel. They take a thrilling parabolic flight simulating zero-gravity, revealing that disabilities can offer unique advantages in space. The conversation dives into the need for inclusivity in astronaut selection, addressing misconceptions and the true challenges faced in the pursuit of accessible space exploration.

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ANECDOTE

Sheri's Journey

Sheri Wells-Jensen, born blind, was discouraged from pursuing astronomy.
Despite this, she became a linguist and later presented research on how blind aliens could develop science and technology.

INSIGHT

Beyond Theory

Sheri realized that theoretical arguments weren't enough to change perceptions of disability.
She decided to explore how disabled people could contribute to space exploration.

INSIGHT

Disability as an Advantage

Disabled people possess unique skills for space due to their adaptations on Earth.
Space is a disabling environment, requiring adaptability that disabled individuals already have.

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Since the beginning of the space program, we’ve always expected astronauts to be fully abled athletic overachievers who are one-part science-geek, two-parts triathlete – a mix the writer Tom Wolfe famously called “the right stuff.”

But what if, this whole time, we’ve had it all wrong?

In this episode, reporter Andrew Leland joins a blind linguistics professor named Sheri Wells-Jensen and a crew of eleven other disabled people on a mission to prove that disabled people have what it takes to go to space. And not only that, but that they may have an edge over non-disabled people. We follow the Mission AstroAccess crew members to Long Beach, California, where they hop on an airplane to take an electrifying flight that simulates zero-gravity – a method used by NASA to train astronauts – and afterwards learn that the biggest challenges to a future where space is accessible to all people may not be where they expected to find them. And our reporter Andrew, who is legally blind himself, confronts some unexpected conclusions of his own.This episode was reported by Andrew Leland and produced by Maria Paz Gutierrez, Matt Kielty and Pat Walters. Jeremy Bloom contributed music and sound design. Production sound recording by Dan McCoy.Special thanks to William Pomerantz, Sheyna Gifford, Jim Vanderploeg, Tim Bailey, and Bill Barry

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Citations in this episode

Multimedia:Sheri Wells-Jensen’s SETI Institute presentationLearn more about Mission AstroAccessOther work by Andrew Leland

Articles:Sheri Wells-Jensen’s, “The Case for Disabled Astronauts,” Scientific American