TEL AVIV — Canadian Space Agency president Steve MacLean was in Israel last week for the third time since the tragic death of his Israeli colleague and close friend Ilan Ramon aboard the space shuttle Columbia, which exploded during its re-entry to Earth on February 1, 2003.
Steve MacLean
“The first time I came to Israel was for a very sad reason. It was for the funeral of Ilan Ramon,” MacLean told The CJN.
He came to Israel for the second time in February 2007 for a memorial ceremony at Ramon’s gravesite, and to visit schools, hospitals and airbases to speak about Ramon and the importance of space science.
This time, he came to Israel for a happier occasion: the graduation of Ramon’s son, Assaf, from the Israeli Air Force (IAF) pilot training course.
“The day Assaf got accepted into the Israeli Air Force, I promised him I would be at his graduation,” said MacLean, who attended the ceremony and air show with his wife and one of his daughters last Thursday at the Hatzerim Air Base in the Negev, where Assaf Ramon received his wings and his officer’s ranks.
The amazing part about it, MacLean said, was that seeing Assaf graduate reminded him of a photo Ilan once showed him from his own IAF graduation ceremony. “They look a little bit alike. I found it quite emotional.”
Assaf Ramon, who was the valedictorian last week, told Israeli daily Yediot Achronoth in April 2006, on his induction into the IAF, that he intended to follow in his father’s footsteps. “Israel must send another astronaut,” he was quoted as saying.
Graduating from the training course was the first step in that direction, a step formerly taken by Ilan Ramon, who was a colonel in the IAF before joining NASA.
“It is impossible to tell what the future holds,” MacLean said. “But [Assaf] certainly has the character and all the qualities to become an astronaut. He graduated first in his class from the top flight-school in the world. He is well on his way.”
In addition to attending Assaf’s graduation ceremony on their week-long visit, MacLean and his family also attended the bat mitzvah of Ilan and Rona Ramon’s youngest daughter, Noa.
“I’m happy for the opportunity to celebrate some happy occasions with the Ramons,” MacLean said.
The Ramons and the MacLeans became close friends after Ilan and Steve met and trained together with NASA at the Johnson Space Center in Houston in the late ’90s. After the Columbia disaster, MacLean became the casualty assistance and calls officer for Ilan Ramon, supporting his family and offering them the solace that only an experienced astronaut would be able to provide. “Our families are quite integrated,” MacLean said.
Before the tragedy that ended Ramon’s life, the MacLean and Ramon families had planned to tour the Nahalal Valley in Israel together in the summer of 2003, after their respective missions in space, Ramon’s on the Columbia, and MacLean’s scheduled to take place 12 weeks after that.
“Our families ended up together in the Nahalal Valley that summer, but not as we had intended. It was very sad.”
In 2006 prior to his second visit to Israel, MacLean took a small Torah scroll belonging to Holocaust survivor Henry Fenichel of Cincinnati, Ohio, into space aboard the Atlantis shuttle as a tribute to Ramon, who had brought a scroll from Bergen-Belsen aboard the Columbia in honour of the survivors of Auschwitz in his own family.
“To do that for my friend was quite an amazing bonding experience,” MacLean said.
After the Columbia break-up, MacLean dedicated his efforts at NASA to increasing the safety of crews and security of space vehicles as technical lead for the Canadian-built orbiter boom sensor system, which has a camera and laser that enable astronauts to check the bottom of the orbiter for possible damage, and as member of the NASA board responsible for ensuring the integrity of the shuttle’s thermal protection system prior to re-entry into the atmosphere.
Although his current trip has focused on the personal, MacLean has also met with the Israel Space Agency (ISA), Canadian Ambassador to Israel Jon Allen and senior trade commissioner Catherine Gosselin to discuss the potential for including Israel in various co-operative initiatives with the Canadian Space Agency (CSA).
The ISA and the CSA signed a memorandum of understanding in 2004 that established the Canada-Israel Research Development Fund (CIRDF) and laid the groundwork for space research co-operation between the two countries. Because of the high costs and mutual interest in data from space, MacLean said most space research is done co-operatively, involving the input of several countries.
“The co-operative model we have with Israel is the most effective model for multinational space research projects,” he said. Rather than work together on each element of a given project, Israel handles one part, and Canada a different part. Because no money is pooled or crosses borders, both agencies avoid a lot of bureaucracy that they would otherwise encounter.
“Israel is a great country to work with. We employ a very effective way of doing business with Israel that is incredibly efficient and smart and has governments leveraging money rather than using it.”
Canada and Israel are considering several joint projects: developing micro- and mini-satellites and related technologies; creating instruments for earth observation and sharing observational data; working on hyper-spectral satellites; creating scientific education programs for youth, as well as graduate-level university exchanges.
“That Canadians get international experience is extremely important,” MacLean said.
In addition, he said, there is a possibility for working together on optics, since Canada is a leader in this field and Israel is interested in expanding its optical capabilities. Also, Israel has a small launcher that Canada may want to use to launch a new satellite into space.
He said, however, that the highlight of the trip has been meeting with Ramon’s family and friends. “The highlight for me has been visiting with these people, whom I have now known for some seven years,” MacLean said. “It is quite amazing when you have someone with the character of Ilan and you see his friends and family… We share something very special.”
This trip also marked the first time MacLean has taken a tour of the country. “It has been great to see so much more of Israel this time,” he said, recalling the photo he took from space of Israel, the photo he shared with Ilan at one of their first meetings. “When you look at Israel from space it’s so beautiful. And it’s beautiful from the ground, too.”
