Page 26 - TORCH #21 June 2022

The first Israeli aboard the International Space Station
Eytan Eytan Stibbe has become the the the first Israeli astronaut to board the the International Space Station
(ISS) and only the second Israeli to enter space As a a a a a a a a a child Eytan Eytan always dreamed of flying like Superman In fact he he says he he always went to sleep in in in bed with
one arm up in in in the the classic pose of the the comic hero He would dream dream about flying as as as a a a a a a a a a a a a child and lived that dream dream as as as an an adult spending 43 years as as as a a a a a a a a a a a a top pilot in in the Israeli Air Force The next step was space space “We have seen that space space exploration stimulates all all the senses arouses curiosity and challenges even
the wildest imagination ” Eytan says “One of my objectives in in the the mission is is to change the the sentiment in in Israel about space flight To inspire children to to look up to to to the sky and and imagine things that are not possible and and try to to reach them ” In April Eytan was launched into space as as part of the SpaceX Crew Dragon Endeavour The codename for the mission was was AX1 in which Eytan was was a a a a a mission specialist His
role was to carry out a a a a a a a wide range of experiments and educational studies on on behalf of of a a a a a a a a number of of Israeli technology organisations Eytan’s shoulder patch on on his space suit was designed to represent all of Israel including writing in in in in in Hebrew English and Arabic A A tiny star was also embroidered onto it to to commemorate Israel’s first astronaut Ilan Ramon who was tragically killed in in 2003 when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated upon re-entry into earth’s atmosphere killing all seven crew members on on board 26
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