Summary of the third day of experiments - the fourth day of the journey (January 20, 2003)
Astronaut Kalpana Chawla hovers in the cockpit of the shuttle
The transition date * * from an hour * * * * * * to an hour
20/01/03—-13:25:29—-13:34:44
20/01/03—-15:00:20—-15:08:52
STS, 107 at Tel Aviv, Israel
21/01/03—–7:07:24—–7:15:52
21/01/03—–8:41:36—–8:50:41
21/01/03—-10:16:51—-10:25:24
21/01/03—-11:51:53—-12:00:40
21/01/03—-13:26:28—-13:35:44
21/01/03—-15:01:43—-15:09:06
The astronauts aboard the space shuttle Columbia lit small flames in their space lab to conduct a scientific study of the soot. The flames were lit in a small chamber that was inserted inside a larger chamber, so that there was no danger of the fire breaking out.
Astronauts Kalpana Chawla and Ilan Ramon used a spark plug with a hot electrical wire and a tiny jet burner to produce flames up to 5 centimeters long. They collected samples of the soot left after the fire to bring back for testing in a laboratory on Earth. The scientists want to take a better look at the nature of soot - the air pollutant that causes lung diseases. They turned to space to prevent the hot air from escaping and to slow down the reactions within the flames so that they would be easier to understand. A similar soot experiment was carried out on the Columbia shuttle in 1997.
In another work carried out by the astronauts on Sunday - the third day of the 16-day journey, the astronauts once again photographed the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean for the purpose of locating dust plumes (as part of the Israeli MEIDEX experiment). As for the Israeli experiment, clouds continued to interfere with observations.
Yes, the astronauts took each other's blood tests in the name of science.
The space shuttle experiments: there are no storms, there are elves
Haaretz's scientific reporter, Tamara Traubman, reports that the research mission of the Columbia shuttle, now in its fourth day, continues to proceed without significant malfunctions. NASA said yesterday that the dozens of experiments being carried out on the shuttle "are being carried out smoothly".
The Israeli MAIDCS experiment, which includes measurements of dust over the Mediterranean region and photography of "sprites" (in English) - flashes of light that appear during lightning storms and it is not clear how they are created. The team has not yet been able to measure a dust storm, because these storms are rare in winter and are obscured by heavy cloud cover. However, yesterday the first elf was discovered. Lt. Col. Yitzhak Mayo, who was trained as Ramon's backup and is currently a member of the experimental team working at the ground control center to operate the research equipment in Washington, said that a little after ten in the evening (Israel time) data arrived from the shuttle, and a goblin was discovered in it.
The head of the elf experiment, Dr. Yoav Yair from the Open University, said in an interview from the control center in Washington that earlier, in the morning, another electromagnetic phenomenon, known as "Elves" was photographed and it also appears as flashes of light in the form of a flat ring. The photo was taken while the shuttle was flying over the South Pacific Ocean. According to Mayo, the analysis of the received data is expected to be done "in the coming days".
Ramon's flight - a compilation of news from the evening hours
20.1.2003
By: Avi Blizovsky
The space shuttle Columbia continues its missions this morning (Saturday) without incident after a flight of more than a day and a half. The shuttle flies at an altitude of two hundred and eighty kilometers above the earth.
Shuttle commander Rick Hezband said tonight that the seven crew members have finished organizing and are moving without difficulty inside. In messages published on behalf of NASA, it is stated that the astronauts are performing the first experiments out of dozens of planned experiments. Among other things, Ilan Ramon, with the help of his friends, operated the cameras of the program to check the dust in the skies of the Middle East. With this, the first photographs revealed that clouds in the area will make it difficult to detect dust storms from space in the coming days.
In another experiment that the astronauts did since its inception, they were able to grow a large cancerous tumor under conditions of weightlessness. The purpose of the experiment is to find out ways of genetic therapy for tumors in the prostate gland and colon.
The BBC devoted an item to the Israeli news coverage of the space shuttle on Thursday. "The calmest man was Ilan Ramon, lieutenant colonel and fighter pilot. The British website emphasizes the many security measures we will take, including the many soldiers, dogs trained to sniff out explosives and fighter jets brought in due to Ramon's presence along with a delegation of 300 people from Israel.
For news at the BBC
NASA congratulates on a successful launch, Ilan Ramon has begun research in space
Israel Space Agency press release
Ilan Ramon, the first Israeli astronaut, began his work in space after the successful launch of the shuttle "Columbia". Ilan Ramon even contacted the control center in Houston and said: "I am proud to be the first Israeli to fly into space."
Ramon and the shuttle crew are now about 275 km above the Earth. They circle us once every hour and a half and will make 256 laps of the ball before they return, on February 1st.
The "Columbia" mission is the first research mission carried out by NASA in about three years. Since 1998, most of the missions of the space shuttles have been allocated in favor of the International Space Station project, when they carried to and from the station replacement crews of astronauts, supplies and parts of the station that is slowly being built in space.
In the current mission, the cargo compartment of the shuttle was blown up in favor of a sophisticated laboratory where the crew members will perform about eighty experiments mostly related to the study of microgravity, the absence of gravity. Among the experiments is the Israeli experiment which aims to study dust storms over the Middle East and their effects on the weather and global warming. During the 16-day stay in space, the experiments will be conducted in two shifts, with the entire team divided into two teams, with the "red" team working, the "blue" team resting, and then changing. In recent days, the astronauts from the different teams were also instructed to sleep at different hours, in order to get them used to different work.
NASA)
Ilan Ramon - The clock is coming soon
By: Walla system!
The first Israeli astronaut, Ilan Ramon, who took off into space on Thursday ignited the feeling of Israeli patriotism and did not overlook that of commercial entities that want to cut a coupon at his expense.
The "Olive Tree" hotel in Jerusalem decided to name the suite in the hotel - "The Ilan Ramon Suite", and announced that it would be happy to host the astronaut and his family, when they return to Israel, as the first guests of the room system. The Ramon Suite resides in a respectable proximity to the "Begin Suite" and the "King Hussein Suite".
In the company "American Comfort" they decided that the astronaut was suffering from discomfort in the space shuttle "Columbia", despite the state of zero gravity. The company decided to give him a sophisticated massage chair with a telephone connection as a gift, so that upon his return from the arduous journey he could rest, indulge in a massage and talk to all his relatives and friends.
The "Adi Watches" company also decided to commemorate the historic event with a special watch with an illustration of a spaceship, the initials of the astronaut (AR) and the date of the spaceship's launch - 16.1.03.
On the new television channel "Teklet" (the Jewish channel) it was decided to offer Ilan Ramon to host a weekly talk show, which will deal with Israelis who have become famous in the world in various fields. The channel notes that the program will only air at the beginning of June, so there will be time to wait for Ramon's answer.
