Israeli Astronaut Bound for Space Shuttle to Visit Boeing

Israel’s first astronaut is scheduled today to tour the plant that will be responsible for helping him blast into outer space.

Col. Ilan Ramon, a decorated fighter pilot in the Israeli air force, will join Rep. Brad Sherman (D-Sherman Oaks) at Boeing’s Rocketdyne Propulsion and Power headquarters.

Shuttle officials have yet to set a date for Ramon’s flight.

“When he goes up, he will be boosted by three of our engines made right here in Canoga Park,” said Boeing spokesman Dan Beck.

Ramon’s tour will include visits to the Rocketdyne Operations Support Center, where engineers monitor space shuttle launches, the manufacturing plant for the shuttle’s main engines and the Boeing Leadership and Learning Center, where 50 years of space hardware is displayed.

“This will be an opportunity for Col. Ramon to thank some of the people at Boeing for their careful work,” said Sherman, who first met Ramon 18 months ago during a NASA presentation in Washington, D.C.

While on the shuttle mission, Ramon will conduct a chemistry experiment and operate a multi-spectral camera to monitor dust dissipation in the Earth’s atmosphere.