Zvi Kaplan, who was the director of the Center for Nuclear Research in Nahal Shurk, will take up his position in October * In a conversation with the Hidan website, outgoing director Avi Har-Evan wishes Kaplan success and announced that he will advise him as much as necessary
Zvi Kaplan, who was director of MMG - the Center for Nuclear Research in Nahal Sorek - will take up his new position at the beginning of October as director of the Israel Space Agency (ISA), which operates within the Ministry of Science. This is how Alex Doron delivers in Maariv. The outgoing director of the space agency, Avi Har-Evan, confirmed the news, adding that an orderly press release should be issued at the beginning of the week.
Kaplan replaces Avi Har-Evan, who is currently completing a nine-and-a-half-year term as CEO of the Space Agency. He was the first full-time and regular in this position, after his predecessors were scientists including the astronomer Prof. Akiva Bar-Nun from Tel Aviv University and Dr. Marcel Klein (Marfa'l). 15 candidates now competed for the position of CEO.
In a conversation with the Hidan site, Har-Evan, who came to the space agency from the R&D unit in the IDF, said that during his tenure the number of countries cooperating with Israel in the various fields of space increased from one (France) to ten, among them the United States (through NASA), India , Holland, Brazil, Chile, Canada and Korea and there are also various agreements with Russia.
"Israeli industries in the fields of space have been added to international business ventures and trends in space topics have been opened in schools. SLA was involved in the project to launch the late astronaut Ilan Ramon on the Columbia shuttle and in the missions he performed for research organizations in Israel." says Har-evan.
"After nine and a half years, I finished my position. During this period, ties were established with many space agencies, several projects were carried out, first of all the astronaut project, and other projects were started, such as a scientific micro-satellite project with the French space agency; Contacts with other space agencies were initiated and the topic of information to the public was increased, especially among the youth when efforts were made to increase the share of space studies among the youth."
When do you think a second astronaut will be launched?
There are no plans yet. He started contacts with the US space agency, which is examining the issue in a sympathetic way in light of President Bush's vision, which changed all its plans.
What is Zvi Kaplan's background?
There was a search committee that examined a number of candidates and recommended Zvi Kaplan, formerly of the nuclear center in Nahal Sorek.
What do you wish for Kaplan?
"I wish him success in the future, I will help him and continue to advise him as much as necessary."
