The First Wheelchair User in Space

Michaela Benthaus made history by becoming the first wheelchair user to travel to space. For decades, spacecraft were designed for a very specific type of body—astronauts who could walk, strap in quickly, float freely, and handle intense forces without extra support. In her Blue Origin flight, engineers had to rethink how movement, safety, and independence work in microgravity and under extreme G-forces. Benthaus used a special strap to keep her legs secure while floating, and she paid close attention to how the design helped or didn’t help during different parts of the ride. Benthaus’s flight pushes engineers to rethink who exploration is really for.

Your Task:

For this task, you are the astronaut, and everyone else has to adjust. Reflect on your traits, like your height, and how spacecrafts are designed.

Your Submission: Write a short response to the question: What’s one thing engineers would need to redesign if YOU were the astronaut? Be as specific and descriptive as possible.

Photo: Courtesy of Blue Origin