Israeli astronaut Eitan Steva was sent into space from Cape Canaveral - paid $55 million

After quite a few rejections, the Israeli astronaut Eitan Steva was sent into space tonight (Friday) together with three other astronauts from the space base at Cape Canaveral in Florida. Tomorrow, the four are expected to arrive at the International Space Station on a 200-hour mission. A few minutes before the launch, Steve said in Hebrew: "A few days before we celebrate Independence Day, we take off. Good luck AX-1, good luck 'Sky'."
A SpaceX broadcast said that the first stages of the launch were successfully completed, including the separation of the first stage launcher from its second stage and the spacecraft. Less than ten minutes later the first stage of the launcher successfully landed on a special surface.
About 13 minutes from the launch, the second phase of the launcher disconnected from the spacecraft, which continues on its long journey to the International Space Station. In the broadcast, Steve is seen holding a doll, apparently of a rabbit. At several stages the doll was seen hovering, while the four astronauts were tied to their chairs.
Steve therefore got the launch in a Tesla car, along with the other three astronauts - veteran astronaut Michael Lopez-Allegria, Larry Connor and Mark Pathi. From there he took the elevator to the bridge - which leads to the spacecraft. He looked at the Atlantic Ocean, which was not far from the launch site. He then signed his name at the entrance to the spacecraft. Later, after SpaceX conducted tests on the astronaut suit he was wearing, he was put into the spacecraft and sat down in his place. Steve seems very excited for the space experience.
Steve (64), a colonel in the reserve, served as a fighter pilot in the Air Force for 43 years and participated in dozens of military operations. After completing a pilot course in 1978, he flew skyhawks, phantoms and F-16s, among others.
During the First Lebanon War he shot down five aircraft, thus becoming the "Abortion Champion" - the nickname of a pilot who shot down five or more aircraft. He continued to serve in the reserve until 2019, in recent years as a flight instructor. Apart from the family of Steva and his friends, and the family of the first Israeli astronaut, the late Ilan Ramon, other Israelis also came to Cape Canaveral to watch the launch into space. Launch and we sewed a trip, "said Shahar." The whole trip was supposed to be a month, when the start was supposed to be at the time of the postponed launch, so we postponed everything. "
Simultaneously with the launch at Cape Canaveral, many came to watch the launch in the control room of the "Sky" mission in Tel Aviv, which is operated by the "Ramon Foundation". The Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Orit Farkash-Hacohen, commented on the scientific experiments conducted by Steve: "These experiments will save many years of research for hundreds of researchers from companies, universities, colleges and hospitals in Israel. Developing modern technologies will help technology companies market even more lucrative products The high-tech and space industry in Israel and around the world are joined by the educational activities, which will be broadcast from space to tens of thousands of students across the country. Many educators were involved in planning the activities, ".
The director of the Davidson Institute for Science Education, Dr. Liat Ben-David, also referred to experiments conducted by Steve in space. "The Davidson Institute specializes in harnessing curiosity and the desire to explore, and translate them into unprecedented achievements from an early age. The Sky Mission is an event that ignites in all of us, and certainly in childhood, the scientific spark. "The children who are amazed by the experiments, which Eitan Steve will conduct in the coming days, to the scientists who are planning the next experiments," said Dr. Ben-David, who also came to the control center in Tel Aviv to watch the launch. , Which presents to students the experiments that Steve will perform on the International Space Station.
Steve paid many millions for the journey, but it is doubtful he will have too much time to spend since during his stay on the space station he is supposed to perform no less than 35 scientific experiments. "The work plan is already complex and integrated into the space station's work plan," Steva told Ynet last week. ".
When asked what experiments particularly excite him, Steva replied: "Of course everything to do with observing the Earth is very exciting. Sitting by the window, watching lightning storms, looking at our spaceship, the Earth, thinking about how to keep it - it's fascinating. Experiments that are less central to my activities, but they are no less scientifically important. " A senior member of Axium Spice, which is in charge of the flight, praised Steva: "We have never seen such a hardworking person come to space mainly to work," he said.