'On behalf of posters on Free Republic, I post this with deepest sympathy for the crew and their families.
Mission - sts107
Posted on 02/01/2003 6:16:05 AM PST by GRRRRR
Shuttle has NOT been heard from or seen on tracking radar since 0800Hrs CDT. No contact at Merrit Island tracking station, no voice comm...DEVELOPING.
"Shuttle Tragedy: How Fortunate For Bush"
What a bunch of hate-filled wretches.
"Shuttle Tragedy: How Fortunate For Bush"
http://www.democraticunderground.com/duforum/DCForumID60/32783.html
"Now he can get on camera with a tearful and heartfelt message about how they were brave heroes who "touched the face of god" (or some other Reaganesque drivel written for him) and lo-and-behold... ALL AMERICA WILL ADORE BUSH AGAIN.
How fortunate that he gets to rally America for yet another tragedy that occured under his watch.
He'll get to play the comforting and wise father-figure. (I think I'm going to be sick!)
-- Allen"
Typical. Wouldn't expect anything more or less out of the DUmmies.
'On behalf of posters on Free Republic, I post this with deepest sympathy for the crew and their families.
Mission - sts107
However, we must still be vigilant. Who knows what will be buried this weekend because of this.
Praying for the families, and our nation! This is just so sad!!
Why the money for that went to fund all the bogus, useless, worthless AIDS prevention programs, doncha know...!
Israel's astronaut carries nation's dreams
BBC News
By Verity Murphy
January 16, 2003
All eyes are on Ilan RamonAs poster boys for the Israel Space Agency go, it does not come much better than Colonel Ilan Ramon.
As the son of an Auschwitz survivor, who grew up to become a fighter pilot in the Israeli air force and fought in the 1973 Arab-Israeli War - his personal history is intertwined with that of his nation.
When he blasts off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida Ramon will become the first Israeli in space and make Israel the 30th nation to have a citizen fly in orbit.
I know my flight is very symbolic for the people of Israel, especially the survivors, the Holocaust survivors, because I was born in Israel, many people will see this as a dream that is come true
Ilan RamonHis flight has become a welcome distraction for Israelis troubled by the ongoing violence in the Middle East and a source of national pride.
Religious artefacts
Ramon will not be the first Jew in space, others who went before him include Judy Resnik, who was killed in the Challenger disaster in 1986.
Nor is Israel's first astronaut a strict practising Jew when on the ground.
But with the eyes of a nation upon as he makes this first symbolic flight, Ramon has been keen to play tribute to his religious heritage.
"As an Israeli and a Jew I asked Nasa if it would be possible to supply kosher food for my menu in space," Ramon said.
"I was surprised and overwhelmed with the effort Nasa put in to trying to accommodate my request," he added.
Among the few personal possessions he will take with him on his 16-day voyage will be mezuzahs - small cases that are hung on door frames of Jewish homes and contain inscriptions from the Bible.
He is also taking a book of Psalms which was given to him by Israel's President Moshe Katsav - the microfiche of the Bible is the size of a credit card.
Tribute to victims
But probably of greatest resonance is a picture drawn by a 14-year-old Jewish boy name Peter Ginz before he was killed in Auschwitz in 1944.
Ramon's own mother Tonya Wolferman was a survivor of the Nazi death camp.
The pencil drawing, entitled Moon Landscape, shows a view of the earth from the surface of the moon, as imagined by the boy.
Ramon will take a picture drawn by a boy killed in Auschwitz"I know my flight is very symbolic for the people of Israel, especially the survivors, the Holocaust survivors, because I was born in Israel, many people will see this as a dream that is come true," Ramon explained.
"I was born in Israel and I'm kind of the proof for my parents and their generation that whatever we've been fighting for in the last century is becoming true."
Marking the Sabbath
As a representative of the Jewish nation Ramon did face one difficulty though - how to mark the Sabbath in space when a sunset and sunrise occurs every 90 minutes?
Time permitting, Ramon says he wants to observe the Jewish day of rest as "an act of solidarity with the Jewish tradition".
I was born in Israel and I'm kind of the proof for my parents and their generation that whatever we've been fighting for in the last century is becoming true
Ilan RamonThe ceremony to mark the Sabbath is supposed to begin at sundown, but when the shuttle is in orbit the sun rises and sets 16 times in a 24-hour period.
To solve the theological conundrum Ramon consulted scientists and rabbis alike, and finally they hit upon the solution that he would follow Houston time - the home of Nasa's mission control.
Thanks to the practical restrictions of being in a spacecraft Ramon will also forgo the lighting of candles that features in the Sabbath ceremony.
And he will of course not refrain from all forms of creative labour, such as using electricity and writing, as strict religious Jews do.
Another time peculiarity that the trip has thrown up is that Ramon will miss the upcoming Israeli general election on 28 January.
As a result Ramon has been issued with an absentee ballot, but he said he does not intend to vote.
Rest in peace, Colonel.
Regards, Ivan
The world has gone nuts. Nothing will ever be the same again after 9-11, Meek. :(
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
