Compilation of recent reports in preparation for the launch
At the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, the countdown continues for the launch of the shuttle Columbia, with Israeli astronaut Ilan Ramon on board.
The launch is scheduled for 17:39 this evening, Israel time. The launch of the shuttle to the orbit around the earth will last about 8 and a half minutes, the whole mission will last 16 days. The head of the Israel Space Agency, Avi Har-Evan, described Ramon's role in the shuttle crew to IDF radio from Cape Canaveral: "Ramon initially came to the force as an astronaut, or a payload specialist who was supposed to perform only one experiment, but we received a request from NASA to allow For him to carry out other experiments as well and actually serve as a task expert, something we did not intend at all, but it turned out for the best."
The space shuttle Columbia will take off today between 17:39 and 20:09 (Israel time), with the first Israeli astronaut, Ilan Ramon, on board. This was announced this evening by the American space agency - NASA. The agency's scientists said at a press conference that the goal is to launch the shuttle as early as possible. NASA leaders today discovered contamination in one of the space suits at the base, but announced that the suit was not intended for use by the astronauts on the current mission, and therefore there would be no delay in the launch.
The ban on flying in the area will come into force three hours earlier than the date of its coming into force in the previous launches. The hundreds of special guests who came from Israel, including two former air force commanders and the ambassador of Israel, were accommodated in the nearby Hilton Hotel, which became a secure and guarded fortress.
The astronauts are quarantined and will not be allowed to meet strangers before the launch, for fear of contracting a disease that will cause serious problems during the mission.
Broadcasting Authority messenger Yaron Dekal says that the ferry commander and Ilan Ramon will go in first because they are at the head of the rescuers if there is a problem at the last minute. About eight and a half minutes after launch, the shuttle should reach the orbit where it will circle the Earth. Its flight will last sixteen days and dozens of experiments will be carried out on it, some of which were prepared in Israel. Last night there was a reception for the three hundred guests from Israel who came to watch the launch
The agency publishes the final launch date only at the last minute for security reasons. The weather at the launch site is good, and it is estimated that there will be no difficulty in holding the launch on the scheduled date.
In the area near the launch site, in Cape Kennedy in Florida, increased security is already being felt. According to the local media, such severe security arrangements were not seen in any previous launch into space, not even after the terrorist attacks of September 11. At the NASA base, the entry procedures and preliminary checks have been tightened for anyone who wishes to enter the site. On the day of the launch, fighter jets will circle over the area and civilian aircraft traffic will be prohibited in the area near the shuttle launch site. The hotel where the Israeli guests, who came to accompany Ramon, are staying, is surrounded by three security rings.
Yesterday, the astronauts devoted their time to medical examinations as well as final adjustments to their spacesuits. Ramon's space suit is decorated with the Israeli flag. Today the Israelis accompanying the launch will arrive in Florida, including members of the Air Force, the Israeli Embassy in the US and the military attachés, the Israeli Space Agency and the Ministry of Science, as well as members of Ramon's family and his friends from Israel. Ramon himself, like the other members of the team, has been in isolation since the beginning of the week and can only meet with the space agency and his wife Rona.
The flight into space tomorrow at 17:00 * The plane with the supplementary experiment on it leaves for Crete
The space shuttle "Columbia" carrying the first Israeli astronaut, Ilan Ramon, will be launched tomorrow on time, as estimated last night by the spokesmen of the American space agency, NASA, a few hours before the official decision on the matter was made. Those responsible for the flight are supposed to make a final decision on the launch early in the morning according to Israel time, however, Kyle Haring, a spokesman for the agency, said already yesterday that "there is no apparent reason for the launch to be delayed."
In recent days, NASA experts conducted comprehensive tests on another space shuttle, the "Discovery", in which a small crack was discovered and there was a fear that the discovery of the crack would disable all the shuttles. But the experts' conclusion was that this is an insignificant problem that does not require the dismantling of all the space shuttles.
Today, NASA will finally announce the exact launch date, which will be between 10:00 and 14:00 tomorrow. The agency publishes the final launch date only at the last minute for security reasons. The weather at the launch site is good and it is estimated that there will be no difficulty in holding the launch on the scheduled date.
In the area near the launch site, in Cape Kennedy in Florida, increased security is already felt. According to the local media, such severe security arrangements were not seen in any previous launch into space, not even after the terrorist attacks of September 11. At the NASA base, the entry procedures and preliminary checks have been tightened for anyone who wishes to enter the site. On the day of the launch, fighter jets will circle over the area and civilian aircraft traffic will be prohibited in the area near the ferry launch site. The hotel where the Israeli guests who came to accompany Ilan Ramon are staying, was surrounded by three security rings.
Yesterday, the astronauts devoted their time to medical examinations as well as final adjustments to their spacesuits. Ilan Ramon's space suit is decorated with the Israeli flag.
Today, the Israelis accompanying the launch will arrive in Florida, including members of the Air Force, the Israeli Embassy in the US and the military attachés, the Israeli Space Agency and the Ministry of Science, as well as members of Ramon's family and his friends from Israel.
Ramon himself, like the other members of the team, has been in isolation since the beginning of the week and can only meet with the space agency and his wife Rona.
(Haaretz and Maariv)
* * *
An Israeli aircraft will participate in the trials of the shuttle Columbia
(Channel 7)
A plane of the "Chimanir" airline will take off on Thursday morning from Tel Aviv to the island of Crete in Greece, and will participate in two studies, which will be carried out by the Israeli astronaut Ilan Ramon on the American space shuttle Columbia.
Atim reports that during his 16 days in space, Colonel Ramon will supervise four Israeli scientific experiments for Tel Aviv University. Two of them deal with the measurement and observation of dust particles in the atmosphere and the observation of mysterious flashes of light that appear above lightning storms.
Sophisticated measuring equipment was installed on the plane to be operated by researchers from the university. The plane is expected to take off every day from Crete while the spacecraft will pass by this part of the Earth. The pilot of the plane, Yoram Assulin, said that the investigators will be in wireless contact with the shuttle, and in coordination with Ramon and the shuttle crew will collect the data
needed for research. The intention is to compare the measurements that will be carried out in space with those that will be collected from the plane, as well as from other American research satellites.
The son wrote the father a letter that he would read in space
(Walla)
Ilan Ramon's family members, who have been staying with him in the US for four and a half years since he was selected for the mission, said yesterday that they are excited and tense about the launch. Ramon himself has already said in the past that one of the most important things for him during his years in the US is the brave friendship he formed with his other members of the space team. The other astronauts also noted the good relations with Ramon during their stay at the base in Houston.
Ramon's father, 79-year-old Eliezer Wolferman, who also came to witness his son's launch into space, actually said that the media uproar in Israel surrounding the event is exaggerated, and called for "a little more modesty". His older brother, Gadi Ramon, left Ilan a letter on the shuttle, a letter that Ramon would only see after he was sent into space. The son Asaf, 15 years old, also sent his father a letter that will be opened in space. Assaf said the other day that he would like to be a pilot or an astronaut himself, but noted that he already misses Israel.
will engage in scientific experiments only
Today's launch will be the 113th time that shuttles have been launched into space and the 28th time for the shuttle Columbia. After you complete this mission, Columbia will be put in for renovations, during which she will be trained for docking at the International Space Station. The expedition departing today will be the first in three years to be launched for scientific experiments only, and not for the needs of the space station.
A large Israeli delegation arrived in Florida to accompany the launch into space. Among others, former Air Force commanders Eitan Ben Eliyahu and Abihu Ben Nun, and other representatives of the Air Force, the Israel Space Agency and the Israeli missions in the US arrived. The Israeli delegation was taken on a tour of the base yesterday, and visited the shuttle itself, which is already on the launch pad.
Along with space crew commander Rick Husband, Ramon will be the first to enter and tie up inside the space shuttle today. This is because Ramon is responsible in the team for rescue, in case of a malfunction during the launch. In the event of such an event, Ramon is supposed to lead the team and drive the rescue vehicle to a remote location, breaking through the base's fences.
Israeli in space
On Thursday, in the afternoon, Major General Ilan Ramon will take off on the Columbia shuttle, becoming the first Israeli in space. Ramon will stay outside the Earth's atmosphere for 16 days and will land back on February 1.2.2003, XNUMX
Ilan Ramon was born in Ramat Gan on June 20.6.1954, 1972. Later, the family moves to Be'er Sheva, where Ilan will spend most of his teenage years. In 1974, Ilan enlists in a pilot course; In XNUMX, he completes the pilot course in combat. At the beginning of his career, Ramon flies Skyhawk and Mirage planes.
In 1980, Ramon was chosen to be among the first ten pilots to fly the new F-16; In 1981 participates in the attack on the nuclear reactor in Iraq. In April 1983, after being the deputy commander of the F-16 squadron, Ramon is released from the army in order to study electronic and computer engineering at Tel Aviv University. After he completes his studies, Ramon joins the development team of the Halvea aircraft and participates in several other defense projects.
In 1988 Ramon returned to the Air Force, was appointed deputy commander of the Phantom squadron and later commander of the H-16 squadron. In 1992, Ramon was appointed head of a branch at the Air Force headquarters. In 1994 he was appointed head of the munitions department.
In 1995, an agreement was signed between the Prime Minister, Shimon Peres, and the US President, Bill Clinton, in which an Israeli astronaut's place on one of the American space shuttles was guaranteed. The Air Force insists that the first Israeli astronaut will be one of its personnel. In 1998, after a long selection process conducted by the Air Force, Col. Ilan Ramon was chosen to be the first Israeli astronaut. According to NASA procedures, an additional officer was chosen, Lt. Col. Yitzhak Mayo, who was designated to serve as Ramon's backup, in case he could not fly into space. In July 1998 Col. Ramon takes off for the USA, and begins his long training at NASA. Along with him, his family is also traveling: his wife, Rona, and their four children: Assaf (14), Tal (12), Yiftah (9) and Noa (5).
A year later, Ramon met Neil Armstrong, the first man on the moon. In January 2001, Ramon's flight team begins joint training, which lasts about a year and a half. The flight was scheduled for July 2002, but it was postponed after cracks were discovered in one of NASA's shuttles.
Today, if there are no changes, Col. Ilan Ramon takes off into space aboard the space shuttle Columbia.
the trainings
During the four years at NASA, Col. Ramon went through a series of special training and various physical tests. One of the first tests, for example, was designed to see if he suffers from claustrophobia. As part of the test, Ramon was placed in a large bag, to which a tube was attached that blows air. In his first months at NASA, Ramon also managed to fly in a space shuttle simulator.
As a veteran fighter pilot, Ramon had no difficulty in carrying out the new mission: "All in all, the instruments on the space shuttle and the H-16 are almost identical and both instruments have flight control using the fly-to-wire method. For someone with fighter jet experience, this is not too complicated a task. However, the shuttle is a very complex tool and the margin of error for the pilot is very small."
At the end of 2000, the team of astronauts with whom Col. Ramon would fly into space was determined. At this stage, the training also became group and each of the crew members got to know the people with whom he would stay for 16 days on the space shuttle.
At the beginning of 2001, the flight crew began joint training. Since then, the team members continue to train for the flight. Some of the trainings include exact simulations, one by one, of days
Complete from the planned mission.
The experiment that Ilan Ramon will conduct during his stay in space was developed by a group of researchers from Tel Aviv University and is called the "Mission to the Earth". The purpose of the experiment is to study the Earth's climate. Ramon will be responsible for studying the effect of aerosols (particles) in the atmosphere on the climate. The results of the experiment may help a lot in weather forecasting and the ability to reach a deeper understanding of the developing cloudiness.
The particle measurements will be carried out by Col. Ramon over the Mediterranean Sea. At the same time, measurements will be made from the ground and from a civilian aircraft. These parts of the experiment will also be Israel's responsibility.
Ramon will determine when to activate the cameras and at what wavelengths to photograph the particles. It is also his responsibility to make sure that the space shuttle is positioned so that the cameras that will be installed in the trunk look in the right direction.
The mission commander is Rick Husband, a lieutenant colonel in the US Air Force. The pilot is Willie McCoil, who served as a pilot in the US Navy. The cargo commander, responsible for all the scientific experiments that the shuttle will carry: Lieutenant Colonel Michael Anderson, an American command and control aircraft pilot.
The three mission experts of the flight: Commander Dr. Laurel Clark, a flight physician in the US Navy; Dr. Kris Chawala, an American civil pilot and scientist of Indian origin and Captain Dr. David Brown, an aviation doctor in the US Navy, who also completed a pilot course.
And these are the items he will take into space
Nine of the ten items that Col. Ilan Ramon will take with him into space. He keeps the tenth a secret, until the launch.
1. The miracle of the president - a photo with the state emblem
2. Air force flag
3. A pennant with the symbol of the Israeli Space Agency
4. A stone with the symbol of Tel Aviv University
5. A pennant with the symbol of the Air Force Museum
6. A pennant with the symbol of the city of Ramat Gan, Ramon's hometown
7. A flag with the symbol of the city of Beer Sheva, the city where Ramon grew up
8. A flag with the symbol of the "Blich" school, located in Ramon's neighborhood where his children will study when they return to Israel
9. A painting by a boy in the Terezin ghetto, from the Yad Vashem art museum
