The Israeli experiment is delayed because of clouds over the Mediterranean Sea. In the meantime, the astronauts are working hard: taking urine and saliva samples from themselves, watching ants and smelling flowers * Compilation of reports from the third day of the journey - 19/1/2003
Updates from the Foreign Exchange website - touch the sky
Hear my voice, my distant one 19/01/03The wake-up call for Ilan Ramon's red shift was accompanied this morning (at approximately 13:00 p.m. Israel time) by the song of "The High Windows" - my voice was heard. The mornings in Houston had trouble pronouncing the band's name correctly, but the voices of Josie Katz and Eric Einstein were clearly heard on the radio network between the space shuttle. Dr. Yair from the Open University and Prof. M. Air Force personnel who were on duty at the time joined in the singing while simultaneously translating for the NASA personnel.
(Note from Avi Blizovsky, in an interview Ramon gave to the Hadaan site, he says that the songs are chosen by the sons or wives of the astronauts and that he did not know what the surprise was that his wife Rona had prepared for him.
There is no dust, there is lightning 19/01/03
Dr. Yoav Yair
The blue shift with Mike Anderson, Dave Brown and pilot Willie McCall went to work on Sunday night (Israel time). The weather in the eastern Mediterranean does not allow observations of desert dust, and the team focuses on photographing the cloud fields and the sea surface in clean areas, in order to obtain information on the reflection properties of the sea surface in the various wavelengths, including in the ultraviolet range. On the other side of the globe, shrouded in darkness, the first observations of particularly strong lightning storms were made in the region of Indonesia and Australia. The results will be deciphered by the team at NASA in search of the elusive "elves".
The red shift had earlier finished a day full of medical and biological experiments, with Ilan Ramon riding an exercise bike and testing his respiratory system.
Successful launch of shuttle trials 18/01/03The first day in space passed successfully, with both shifts working and running a long series of experiments. Among the other experiments carried out were those of growing protein crystals, operating ant farms in zero gravity, observations of the ozone layer and testing new communication systems. The astronauts gave saliva samples for medical tests. Observations were also made towards the sun (the Solkon experiment of the Belgian Space Agency), and three consecutive passes over the Mediterranean Sea were made in which measurements were made with "Madex" cameras. The heavy cloud cover made it impossible to distinguish a plume of dust carried from the direction of Tunisia. At the same time, a quick analysis carried out by the scientists of the data broadcast to Israel revealed that the cameras work excellently and that interesting and new details can be noticed. Simultaneously with the passage of the ferry over Israel, the first research flight was carried out over the waters of the Mediterranean Sea.
In the next day, more sightings are expected in the Mediterranean region, and for the first time also sightings of "elves" above lightning storms in the Pacific Ocean.
Correct updates for Sunday morning
Ilan Ramon: It's exciting to see Israel from space; The Israeli experiment began
"Columbia" team members McCall (right) and Chawla, yesterday. Next Sunday it will be possible to see the ferry passing over Israel - for four minutes
Natan Gutman and Tamara Traubman, Haaretz: Yesterday, at the end of a day in space, the shuttle "Columbia" with the Israeli astronaut Col. Ilan Ramon on it passed over the skies of Israel. Although the area was cloudy and only the north of the country could be seen from the ferry, Ramon said that the spectacle was exciting. In a televised interview from the ferry he said, "Of course I was excited. This is an excellent opening for our country and the countries in the region." Then he added: "It's great to be in space."
The space shuttle has already completed several laps around the Earth. This coming Sunday, January 26, it will be possible to see it pass overhead
My name is Israel. "It will be possible to watch the ferry with the 'naked eye'. The shuttle will look like a very bright star," said Ilan Manolis from the Israel Astronomical Society. The shuttle will cross the morning sky from the west-southwest direction at 5:40 am and will be visible for four minutes. Another opportunity will be the next day, on January 27.
The space shuttle crew gave a first series of interviews to US television networks yesterday, in which they talked about the launch and their experiences. "I haven't had time yet to think about the meaning of the launch for the State of Israel," said Ramon, who noted that the team's workload does not leave him any free time. According to him, that's why he didn't even have time to mark the beginning of Shabbat, even though he brought a silver cup with him to the space in order to celebrate Kiddush on Shabbat night.
On the first day after the launch, the members of the shuttle crew underwent medical tests to make sure they did not suffer from acclimatization problems. All passed the tests successfully. The first days of the journey will be largely devoted to a series of biological experiments, designed to test questions about the long-term effect of weightless conditions on the human body. These experiments are essential in order to allow, within a few years, the launch of astronauts for longer missions in space.
Ramon has already started working on the main experiment he will run - "MADEX", an Israeli experiment conducted by scientists from Tel Aviv University and the Open University, which is supposed to examine the behavior of dust storms in the Mediterranean region. According to initial reports, the camera which is supposed to photograph the dust storms functions well in space and produces good and clear quality photographs. However, yesterday the Israeli research team, staying at NASA's "Goddard Space Flight Center" in Washington, DC, said that so far no dust storms have been observed in the area. "All the areas we passed through, which were planned for photography, were covered in clouds," said in a telephone interview from Goddard Lt. Col. (Res.) Yitzhak Mayo, who was trained to serve as Ramon's backup, and is currently a member of the Tel Aviv University research team. The dust storms over the Middle East, which originate in the Sahara desert, are common in summer but quite rare in winter. According to Mayo, "our requirements are problematic for this period". Since the launch of "Columbia", video footage of the crew began to arrive at the moment of launch and after.
The astronauts are seen getting out of the launch seats and changing their spacesuits into regular work clothes. The seven astronauts entered a work routine almost immediately, and were divided into two teams - at all times one team is sleeping and the other is performing its tasks. This way they can work around the clock, to meet the heavy load of experiments imposed on the team. The team commander, Rick Husband, said that everything is progressing well and that "Columbia" is in excellent condition.
"I was excited when I saw Israel"
In his first television interview from space, Ilan Ramon (left) told about the things he took with him on the trip: "I took a Kiddush cup, the Israeli flag, the Declaration of Independence and things that symbolize the Holocaust." The Israeli astronaut's Shabbat meal included vegetable soup (which he heated himself), crackers, curry chicken and a brownie cake * NASA: "They feel good and work like donkeys"
"It's great to be in space. We are so busy that I didn't have time to think about Shabbat. I'm secular and I don't get any discounts here. The only thing I brought with me was a cup for consecration. But I missed that too because of work. I hope I can make Kiddush next Shabbat," said Ramon in an interview with CBS. Throughout the interview, Ramon played with the Kiddush cup in his hand until it began to float in the space of the shuttle.
Regarding the view of Israel from above, he said: "It was cloudy and it passed too quickly, but I saw northern Israel, and of course I was excited."
The day of the "Red Team" shift on the space shuttle is synchronized to the Houston, Texas clock, so that Ilan Ramon sleeps at night and works during the day. Ramon adjusted himself to his Shabbat rest, according to Houston time, and also keeps kosher meals.
Ramon's Shabbat meal included: vegetable soup for vegetarians (which he heated himself), crackers, chicken dipped in curry sauce and cashew nuts, asparagus, tortilla, pears, brownie cake and decaffeinated coffee.
Ramon and the rest of the shuttle crew have been healthy and feeling well since the launch, reports the doctor who checks them daily by remote control from the space center in Houston. Ramon did not suffer at all from the space transition syndrome, which can cause a feeling of flu for one to two days. "They feel good and work like donkeys," a NASA headquarters official told Ma'ariv
Washington.
Immediately after Columbia entered its orbit at an altitude of 280-275 km above us, the team entered into a work routine. The schedule is strict: every activity is scheduled precisely, and the day is divided into 5 minutes.
On Friday and Saturday, the team mainly worked on preparing the devices for the various experiments. Among the official experiments handled by the team over the weekend was an experiment by Tel Aviv University to photograph and measure dust particles from Sahara desert storms.
The astronauts themselves are part of the experiments being performed. They check how staying in space affects calcium loss, kidney stones, muscle loss, and the weakening of the immune system. For this purpose, the astronauts collected blood, urine and saliva samples from themselves.
The crew reported to the control center in Houston that everything was going well on the shuttle. Three minor glitches were discovered: the Columbia communication channel was "too noisy" and so was the KU-BAND channel for transmitting computer data. Until the fault is fixed, the data will be recorded, and transmitted to the ground control station at a later date. Also, two heating devices in the cryogenic storage tank (deep cooling) in the luggage compartment for experiments are not working. And in addition, a malfunction was discovered in the intercom system between the crew compartment and the scientific equipment compartment.
Alex Doron and Yitzhak Ben-Hurin, Ma'ariv: In their first two days in space, the seven astronauts aboard the space shuttle Columbia began to carry out the experiments entrusted to them. "It looks like the experiments have started very successfully," said astronaut Michael Anderson. Ilan Ramon watched with excitement on Earth when the shuttle passed over Israel and reported to the control center: "We just passed over Jerusalem."
In the hours after the launch, the red shift, in which Ramon participates, began preparing the test systems. Ramon began to prepare the main experiment for which he was sent into space - the Tel Aviv University experiment, known as "Madex". As part of the experiment, Ramon is supposed to photograph dust storms over the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean to examine their effect on the weather and global warming. In the mid-afternoon hours of Friday, while Ramon was sleeping, astronaut Dave Brown made the first observations as part of this experiment, in coordination with the Tel Aviv University scientists staying at the control center in Maryland. It turned out that the cameras work well, and new and interesting details can be noticed with their help - however, clouds that covered the Mediterranean area did not allow us to watch dust storms for the time being.
Before going to bed, Ramon also had time to perform an experiment prepared by the students of the "Ort Motzkin" school - an experiment known as a "chemical garden". This is an experiment designed to test how the absence of gravity affects the development of crystals in a solution. The students contacted the space center and ordered Ramon to start the experiment. A few moments later they received the confirmation that the experiment was carried out successfully. Ramon is expected to perform a similar experiment in ten days, and the results of both experiments will be tested upon his return to Earth.
A large part of the other experiments carried out by the astronauts on the space shuttle tests the effects of the absence of gravity on humans and animals. In some experiments, the astronauts are not only the experimenters, but also the subjects - they take blood, urine and saliva samples from themselves to check how the absence of gravity affects their bodies. "Collecting samples is one of the less glamorous aspects of space travel," says John Charles, the NASA scientist in charge of the flight, "but it is one of the most important parts of the flight."
The astronauts also follow animals and plants that joined the journey. Among the creatures they carry with them are rats, spiders, bees, ants, silkworms and silkworm eggs, fish and fish eggs. The animals will mostly be used for experiments planned by students in schools. In one of these experiments, designed by students from Circus, New York, the astronauts are testing whether ants will dig burrows at a slower speed in the absence of gravity. First results of the experiment show that the ants have already started digging.
On the shuttle there are also different types of flowers, seeds, fungi, bacteria and cancer cells. In one of the experiments, for example, the astronauts test how prostate cancer spreads to the bones, and how the bone cells react to the absence of gravity. The flowers are part of a commercial experiment in which they test how light, water, nutrients and the absence of gravity affect the fragrance of the flower.
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Ilan Ramon Amitz