A 40-year-old combat pilot has been chosen to become the first Israeli to travel on a NASA space shuttle mission.
The pilot, who under army regulations cannot be named, was identified as an F- 16 pilot and trained electrical engineer.
If approved by NASA, he would join the space shuttle crew on a mission next year, which also would coincide with the organization’s 50th anniversary celebrations.
The project would take place under a scientific space research agreement between Israel and the United States.
Abi Har Even, the director of Israel’s space agency, said the pilot was chosen by the air force after a rigorous selection process, and that the agency acted as an civilian intermediary with NASA.
He said the pilot would serve as the mission’s “payload specialist,” overseeing a space experiment Israel has yet to propose and finance.
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