A first conversation was held this evening between the Israeli astronaut in space Ilan Ramon and Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. The conversation was transmitted via video from the Columbia ferry to the Prime Minister's Office in Jerusalem.
Photo from the conference call between the Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon and the Minister of Education and Science Limor Livnat. Photo: Sima Mizrahi, astronomy teacher at Gila comprehensive high school.
A first conversation was held this evening between the Israeli astronaut in space Ilan Ramon and Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. The conversation was transmitted via video from the Columbia ferry to the Prime Minister's Office in Jerusalem.
Here is an excerpt from the conversation:
Prime Minister Sharon: We talked with you, the Minister of Education, and myself shortly before the launch and we were excited, now that we are talking to you in space we are even more excited.
Col. Ramon: I am also just as excited as you are, to always talk to the Prime Minister, but especially to talk to you from space."
Prime Minister Sharon: "What do you see from there that we don't see from here?"
Col. Ramon: "What you see from here is truly amazing. Our earth is beautiful, but what is more interesting is that the atmosphere is thin. I think we should keep her as the apple of our eye, that's how she looks."
Sharon: I hope that the experiments you are doing will definitely contribute to this goal. You fly to measure sandstorms and instead we have blessed rains.
Ramon (after two attempts): We are on a tight mission, we have dozens of experiments and we work around the clock, 16 hours or more a day. We don't have too much time to enjoy ourselves, but even the short time we have for now is enough. The team that is here with me and that we trained together for two and a half years is a great team. We feel almost like home here. We also receive extraordinary assistance from the flight controllers, our believers and all those who accompany us from the ground.
Sharon: "I ask that you convey to the head of the delegation Mr. Rick Husband and the wonderful team congratulations from us in Jerusalem"
Ramon: "I will tell them and they really want to be in Jerusalem. We want to organize a tour of Jerusalem for them after the flight. They love us very much, love the country."
Sharon: I want to thank President Bush and the previous president of the USA, Clinton, who actually decided then to send one of our people into space. To the NASA agency and to all those who worked in this field and brought us to this great achievement, and I hope it is only the first on the path of our space flights.
I agree with every word and every blessing you blessed, and nevertheless, a good word goes to the former commander of the Air Force, Eitan Ben Eliyahu, without whom we would not have gotten to this point, and to my father Har-Evan, the director of the Space Agency, and to Yuval Na'im, who founded the agency and accompanies it. A good word also to our scientists who are in Washington and doing wonderful and successful work. To the entire team of the experiment, I want to congratulate the team of scientists.
Sharon: "Thank you and congratulations on your success"
Minister Limor Livnat: I want to congratulate you. It's a huge excitement. I want to ask you. You took some items of Jewish historical value into the spaceship, maybe you can tell us what you took and what it means to you?"
Ramon: "Thank you to the Minister of Education and Science. I took some interesting things. From here from space the Land of Israel looks like it does on the maps - small but lovely. We have wonderful people in Israel, one by one and I think it is very important to preserve our historical - historical - religious culture.
I brought a small Torah scroll. Sixty years ago a little boy from the Bergen-Belsen extermination camp received him from the rabbi of Amsterdam who taught him for the Bar Mitzvah. This child read the parsha of the week and the haftara from this book. He was wrapped in a handkerchief that had been with him ever since. This little boy was very lucky to be saved from the camp, arrived in Israel, fought in Israel's wars as an officer, and reached the position of a respected professor at Tel Aviv University. This is Prof. Yosef Yehoyachin - Yoya, who is today one of the two main researchers of the Midex experiment. It's a very, very exciting connecting thread and it's here with me in space. I am very grateful to Yuya, and I think that this emphasizes more than anything the ability of the Jewish people, despite all the terrible signs, to reach the days with hope and faith in the future.
Livnat turns to the commander of the spacecraft, Rick Husband and invites the crew to visit Israel, not just to see it from space.
The husband: I accept the invitation and I hope to implement it soon.
A representative from the XNUMXth grade at Gila comprehensive school, Itai Shimhoni:
"I am here with 4 other representatives from the Earth, from the Gila school. We wanted to ask you many questions but you only allowed us to ask one question. What is the real experience you had that you did not expect?
Ramon: Hello students. I think the most exciting and special experience here, apart from looking out the window, is the levitation. You don't see us floating here because we have to stay in front of the camera, but when I go to sleep I go into a shelf and float in the middle. It's like they used to show us magicians but this time it's real. I also want to remind the students, the Minister of Education and the Prime Minister that we have an experiment of students from Kiryat Motzkin on the ferry. I didn't get to see it with my own eyes but I hope it works well. It is very important to attract our students to study science.
Prof. Yuval Naaman: You reminded me of the days 40 years ago when I established the first framework that dealt with space, at Tel Aviv University and Prof. Yosef Yehoyachin was one of the first I recruited. I actually have two requests for you. If you have time to think, I would ask you to participate. A generation goes and a generation comes, you have to think about how to carry the issue forward. How to convince the Israeli public, the government of the importance of the issue of space, and how to make serious contributions to it, not contributions from trailers but contributions from leaders. Besides, you will learn a lot about space because it will be necessary when it comes to journeys of years like they once traveled by ship, and in the future they will travel to Mars. I wish you success in the task and also for the Madex experiment.
"Ramon: As for the second question - NASA is learning all the time. We have brilliant minds in Israel and I think this can and should be our main contribution on the space issue. We don't need to send our own shuttles into space but use our brains and do research. There is an extensive field of work and resources are needed, as in everything.
Director General of the Israel Space Agency, Avi Har-Evan: I was with you for four and a half years and I was there when you took off. I have a greeting from your sister, I spoke to her this morning. I hope we will continue to do good things together, also in other settings."
Ramon: "Thank you very much, my father, for all the efforts you put into this project in the last five years. I didn't have time to talk to my wife, because she just wasn't home yet, I just received an email from her. I would like to point out that Rona and the children gave me a letter and made huge concessions despite the many difficulties along the way. Rona - I love you.
Arnon Perlman: The Prime Minister will conclude the first conversation between the State of Israel and space.
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon: I am not exaggerating if I say that all those sitting here and certainly many citizens in Israel envy you and your ability to be where you are. I wanted to congratulate you on your proud standing as a Jew and your great faith in it and I believe like you in the great ability and talents that are here. I am sure that we are a special people who have successfully withstood the most difficult trials and can reach great heights. We have the strength, we have the determination and if we really know how to define the important goals ahead of us, I believe that we can achieve everything, and you are one of our greatest achievements.
I thank the Prime Minister. I call on every Jew in the world to plant one tree in the Land of Israel, and I want to see another 13-14 million trees planted in the Land of Israel for the anniversary of the launch. And here in space we continue to work. Thank you all.
