TEL AVIV, ISRAEL -- The successful Jan. 16 launch of NASAs Space Shuttle Columbia with an Israeli crew member on board proved a welcome respite for a nation numbed by economic turmoil, political scandal, the renewed specter of Iraqi missile attack and the ongoing 27-month old conflict with the Palestinians.
For one full day, the shuttle flight pushed the screeching headlines off of the front pages, and provided newspapers and broadcasters an opportunity to cover the other worldly adventure of Ilan Ramon, a 48-year-old Israel Air Force colonel who became Israels first astronaut to reach orbit.
"We couldnt have had a more picture-perfect launch; what an extraordinary way to open the new year," NASA Administrator Sean OKeefe told reporters following the morning launch. OKeefe lauded the capabilities of Columbias seven-member crew and extolled the potential of the 16-day scientific mission, during which 80 experiments are scheduled.
OKeefe singled out payload specialist Ramon a veteran pilot of Skyhawk, Mirage and F-16 fighters who participated in Israels 1981 bombing of Iraqs Osirak nuclear reactor as "high caliber" and called his participation "a meaningful contribution to the mission."
In a country beleaguered by divisiveness and strife, Ramons historic trip to space appeared to give the country something positive to embrace.
In a news conference prior to the launch, Ramon noted his cathartic effect on the Israeli public. "I think people are very happy to be distracted by my flight," Ramon said.
Even Tiewfiek Khateeb, an Arab Israeli member of parliament, noted the historic nature of the mission. "Of course Im proud and thrilled by this historic launch. Its a happy occasion for Israel and for the worlds scientific community," Khateeb told Space News in a Jan. 16 interview.
When asked, however, if the good will and national pride generated by the mission might spill over into other areas, Khateeb replied, "Lets not get carried away. We cant isolate ourselves from reality. This joyous day is little more than an aberration until the issue of the Israeli occupation [of Palestinian lands] is resolved and issues of social inequity are addressed."
Ramon and an Israel Air Force alternate astronaut trained for four-and-a-half years for the mission, which was rescheduled three times from its original launch date in 1999. Inclusion of the Israeli in the NASA team stemmed from a 1995 agreement between former Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres and then-U.S. President Bill Clinton.
Four Israeli-proposed experiments are slated for the Columbia mission. They include the Mediterranean-Israel Dust Experiment camera designed to measure the impact of aerosols on cloud formations and rainfall; an examination of the phenomenon of red and blue flashes of light known as sprites that appear during lightning storms; an experiment on the effects of weightlessness on bacteria; and a eighth-grade student chemistry project.
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