The Right Stuff

4 snips

Jul 21, 2023

Andrew Leland, a legally blind reporter, shares his eye-opening journey on Mission AstroAccess, where astronauts with disabilities prove their unique capabilities in zero gravity. Teaming up with linguist Sheri Wells-Jensen and others, they challenge traditional views on who can be an astronaut. Their experiences reveal how disabilities offer surprising advantages, pushing for a broader understanding of capability in space exploration. Leland's upcoming memoir also dives into the cultural aspects of blindness, showcasing resilience and adventure.

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ANECDOTE

Sheri's Inspiration

Sheri Wells-Jensen, born blind, felt restricted by others' limitations.
Finding freedom in the night sky, she pursued astronomy despite discouragement.

ANECDOTE

Two Steps

After presenting her paper on blind aliens, an attendee offered to help her down two steps.
This highlighted the disconnect between accepting her ideas and acknowledging her abilities.

INSIGHT

Disability as an Advantage

Disabled people are uniquely suited for space due to their adaptation skills.
They navigate inaccessible environments daily, preparing them for space's unpredictability.

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Since the beginning of the space program, we’ve expected astronauts to be fully-abled athletic overachievers—one-part science geeks, two-part triathletes—a mix the writer Tom Wolfe called “the right stuff.”

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

In this episode from 2022, reporter Andrew Leland joins blind Linguistics Professor Sheri Wells-Jensen and a crew of 11 other disabled people. They embark on a mission to prove not just that they have what it takes to go to space, but that disability gives them an edge. On Mission AstroAccess, the crew members hop on an airplane to take a zero-gravity flight—the same NASA uses to train astronauts. With them, we learn that the challenges to making space accessible may not be the ones we thought. And Andrew, who is legally blind, confronts unexpected conclusions of his own.

By the way, Andrew’s new book is out. In The Country of the Blind: A Memoir at the End of Sight (https://zpr.io/nLZ8H), Andrew recounts his transition from sighted to blind. Suspended between anxiety and anticipation, he also begins to explore the many facets of blindness as a culture. It’s well worth a read.

Read the article by Sheri Wells-Jensen, published in The Scientific American in 2018. “The Case for Disabled Astronaut” (https://zpr.io/nLZ8H).

This episode was reported by Andrew Leland and produced by María Paz Gutiérrez, 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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