(London Times) - Jacqui Goddard When Israel's first astronaut, former fighter pilot Ilan Ramon, prepares to blast off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, next week, he will be at the center of an unprecedented security operation by NASA. Ramon will be joining the space shuttle Columbia for a 16-day research voyage. While the fleet is already seen as a high-profile terrorist target, NASA is conscious that a shuttle carrying an Israeli - who took part in devastating combat sorties against his country's Arab enemies - would be the ultimate trophy.
2003-01-10 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive