Ilan Ramon will be carried into space in the space shuttle “Columbia”, on mission number STS-107.
US space agency NASA has announced that Israel’s first astronaut, Ilan Ramon, will be launched into space on January 16, 2003. Ramon’s space mission has been delayed for half a year, after small cracks were found in fuel pipes in the main engines of two orbiters.
NASA said Ramon was due to be launched in the space shuttle “Columbia”, on mission number STS-107. The launch window will last two-and a half hours, the space agency noted.
NASA plans to host a press conference with the flight crew on January 3, at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. The agency will broadcast the launch on its television station.
Published by Globes [online] - www.globes.co.il - on 2 December, 2002