SPACE CENTER, Houston(AP) _ Israel's first astronaut said Thursday that he feels safe with all ofNASA's security precautions and does not consider himself a terrorist target _or even an added risk to his space shuttle flight this summer.

In one of his firstinterviews since the latest Middle East crisis, Israeli Air Force Col. IlanRamon said NASA is doing everything it can to protect him, his six Americancrewmates and all the other astronauts.

``I feel very safehere. I mean, there's no real risk here. Being a pilot in the Air Force is arisk position,'' the 47-year-old ex-fighter pilot said during a break intraining at the Johnson Space Center. ``Even being a pilot, when people ask me,'What do you think? Aren't you scared?' I tell them that walking in the streetor driving a car is much more risky.''

Ramon said training for his 16-day scientific researchmission aboard shuttle Columbia has not been disrupted by security measures.

``Life is usual andit's very important that life will continue to be as usual, otherwise the badguys are going to win,'' Ramon told The Associated Press.

NASA increasedsecurity to unprecedented levels at Johnson and especially at the launch sitein Cape Canaveral, Fla., following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Shuttleliftoff times are kept secret until 24 hours in advance, and Air Force fighterjets and attack helicopters patrol the area around the pad on launch day.

Additional securityis planned for Ramon's launch, currently targeted for July 19. While privatelyexpressing worry, NASA officials fully support Ramon's participation in theflight, which was planned long before the current crisis in Israel. The missionfeatures several Israeli experiments, including research into desert aerosol.

NASA AdministratorSean O'Keefe said he is working with the State Department. ``Given the currentdevelopments in the Middle East, I think that's as far as I ought to comment,''O'Keefe recently told reporters.

Ramon said no one atNASA has asked him to step off the mission, and the thought hasn't crossed hismind. He said he does not believe his presence is putting any of his crewmembers _ or shuttle Columbia _ at additional risk.

``Things aredifferent and things should be different because you can't ignore what'shappening,'' he said. ``But I don't think that our flight is any special inthis case than any other flight.''

Ramon, who worked inIsraeli weapon development before being selected as his country's firstastronaut in 1997, said he would speak out if he thought additional securitywas needed for his flight.

``I'm not going toeven think about it'' on launch day, he said. ``The only worry I will have isto be launched on time, no failures and great time. Great science.''