In a few days, the Israeli Eitan Steve is expected to take off into space on a SpaceX rocket, stay at the International Space Station and perform dozens of experiments and studies for Israeli institutions. Is this a “space tourist”? astronaut? And where does space even begin?
International Space Station. Source: NASA
It used to be simple. A man or woman flew into space and earned the title of astronaut or astronaut. Yes, if you had a Russian passport, you are called a cosmonaut and if you are one of the 1.4 billion Chinese you have won the title of tycoon, but the principle is clear. Did you fly into space? Congratulations, you’re an astronaut.
In recent years we are seeing a flourishing of the private space industry with the rising popularity of private ventures and services in the field, where there has been a monopoly of national and international space agencies. One of the most prominent areas in this privatization is undoubtedly the field of space launches and the phenomenon of “space tourism” – a field led by players such as billionaire entrepreneurs Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos and Richard Branson.
However, these blurring boundaries also raise another question, which may sound semantic and troublesome, but attracts quite a bit of emotion and passion – “Who is an astronaut?”, Which means who is allowed to carry this title? And unlike other cases, here a glance at a dictionary, Wikipedia or even rummaging through definitions of these or other official agencies will not suffice.
This discussion, which has intensified over the past year, became relevant again this week with the planned launch in two days of the Israeli businessman and former pilot, Eitan Steve, to the International Space Station – on the first private mission to arrive at the station.
Where does space even begin?
According to the Wiktionary Collaborative Dictionary, an astronaut is “a person who has flown into space, or whose career is a space flight.” Seemingly, simple and logical. But this definition, it turns out, is quite broad and also not so up-to-date. The truth is that even on the question of what space is in general and where it exactly begins there are disagreements.
The Hungarian-American physicist Theodor von Kerman calculated and determined that any activity performed above an altitude of 80 km above the Earth is considered an activity performed in space. This border, which has meanwhile been updated to 100 km, is called the Kerman line. Kerman explained that above this altitude, the atmosphere becomes too sparse and no known aeronautical activity is possible. In other words, a plane operating at an altitude of 100 km will no longer be able to produce aerodynamic lift, and in order not to fall like a stone and stay in orbit, it will have to move at a speed higher than the Earth’s rotational speed (about 1,700 km / h). Now, of course this is an imaginary line, and it’s not even really a line but a wide field, but at least there are a number. 100 km. Right?
So where does it start?
So it’s not. Because until recently – and unlike the rest of the world – American bodies such as the US Federal Aviation Administration, the US Air Force and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (yes, there is such a thing) considered the original line – 80 km – as the height from which space begins. U.S. Air Force pilots on test flights for example won astronaut wings. On the other hand, NASA has exacerbated and set the line at 122 km altitude, as this is the altitude at which the friction of the atmosphere ceases to be significant (or begins to be significant – depending on your direction).
By the way, the atmosphere itself reaches an altitude of about 965 km, so if we consider space as a place completely devoid of atmosphere, the International Space Station, which cruises at an altitude of about 400 km, well, was then simply called “International Station”, which is Much less exciting.
Bezos gives astronauts wings and the setting changes
Last year both Jeff Bezos and Richard Branson successfully fulfilled their private dream, soaring into space aboard aircraft developed by companies they own – Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic respectively. The billionaires thus gave the signal for the beginning of the era of commercial spaceflight. But as they were both quick to find out – an astronaut’s definition refers not only to the altitude of the flight, but also to active action to perform it. The launches of the 2 companies, by the way, are carried out in a completely autonomous manner – just like the launch of SpaceX and its Falcon 9 missile.
At a random time, the Federal Aviation Administration released an update to the astronaut’s settings – exactly on the day of Bezos’ flight and 17 years after the last update – and added a new requirement: “Perform in-flight missions that are necessary for public safety or contribute to space flight safety.” As a result, the official title was revoked from the two billionaires and they did not win the wings. Bezos’ Blue Origin by the way was quick to distribute its own astronaut wings to everyone who took part in the flight – including of course the boss and his brother – and since then the 2 companies have been careful to distribute their own astronaut pins to each of their customers.
Instead of selfies: Dozens of scientific experiments
At the same time as the conditions worsened, the FAA also created for the first time a new and interesting degree, designed to seem to be a response to the changing times: “a private astronaut for honor.” In contrast to the degree of astronaut, which is given to those who actually operate the flight and life systems on the aircraft and in the space station, the new degree is given to those who have demonstrated “extraordinary contribution and deeds for the space industry.” That is, even if a space traveler did not contribute to the course of the flight, he can still earn the official title of astronaut.
This coming Friday, if the launch is not postponed again, the Israeli businessman and former pilot, Eitan Stiva, who paid for this right, according to estimates, between $ 50 million and $ 60 million, will be sent to the International Space Station. During his stay on the space station, Steve is expected to devote almost all of his time to performing dozens of different trials and clinical trials. These experiments were carefully selected from hundreds of proposals submitted by Israeli startups and academic research bodies by a scientific committee of the Ramon Foundation. Because the cost of an astronaut hour on the space station is estimated at hundreds of thousands of dollars, this is an extraordinary opportunity for Israeli bodies to test their products and technologies under micro-gravity conditions.
From conversations we had with some startup entrepreneurs, who sent experiments with Steve, it is clear that the reduced cost is only part of the benefits. For example, Daniel Rockberger, co-founder of the Israeli communications satellite startup NSLComm, tells us that the big advantage is the accessibility of those who will perform the actual tasks: Rockberger says that as part of the mission, he launched a folding antenna system designed to sail on a low-cruising orbit (LEO) and provide broadband Internet to any point on Earth. “And of course being in touch with him live during the experiment, which could not have happened in a normal commercial route,” he concludes.
But is performing dozens of research missions during your stay on the space station enough to “win” the title of astronaut?
“What really matters is what is done there”
Stiva in the SpaceX training facility. Photo: Keren Ramon
Since the initial announcement of the launch, Steve himself and the crew accompanying him have been careful not to call him an astronaut. In each announcement and interview, Steve’s team makes sure to call him “the second Israeli in space” and not “the second Israeli astronaut in space.” I took advantage of the recent interview Steve gave to the Israeli media before the launch, an interview conducted from his place of isolation in Florida, to understand how he sees his role and what he thinks about the various definitions.
I ask Steva if he defines himself as an astronaut and he immediately replies that he does not attach importance to these definitions, “It is not a rank, it is not a degree and it is not a certificate. It does not matter what you call it. I think the short flights (the flights of space tourists with companies of Bezos and Branson, Y.A.) contribute a lot to the field of missiles, the possibilities of flying spacecraft and missiles, the whole idea of Elon Musk of landing the missile back, landing at sea and then on land, everything contributes to the development of The general technology, and of course the exploration of space, so for me it has no meaning… what really matters is what is done there, and how we do it ”.
When Steve talks about “what will be done there” he is of course talking about the dozens of missions he will perform in space. Ran Livneh, CEO of the Ramon Foundation, tells us that Steve’s schedule is so busy that in order to take advantage of every second that happens on the space station, his schedule is meticulously planned at a quarter of an hour level. Equipped Steve is equipped with a body camera and headphones that are connected to the Experimental Control Center in Nashville and the control room set up by the Ramon Foundation in Tel Aviv, and will perform the experiments meticulously. Dr. Gareth Reisman, a former NASA astronaut who now serves as a SpaceX astronaut training consultant, also tells us that he was so shocked by the number of experiments that Steva would perform in space that he asked him “Do you not want to sleep sometime ?!” He remembered with a smile.
Experiment with growing chickpeas in space. Photo: Aviv Labs
Beyond the content of the mission, Steve tells us that Axium’s 4 passengers have undergone full training: NASA has given us a full training course tailored for private astronauts – meaning not people doing astronaut careers – so we can make this journey to the space station. This training includes not only instruction in the use of the kitchen and bathroom, but in all the labs in the space station and troubleshooting. At the same time we underwent full training because we are flying alone. There is no one from SpaceX to accompany us. This is full training of the Dragon operation back and forth, ”says Steve.
According to Steve, he and his fellow astronauts have an important advantage while staying at the space station – time: “Compared to what you call” professional astronauts “from NASA or the European Space Agency, keep in mind that they spend 80 percent of their time on routine maintenance. Treatment of the station, installations and dismantling, cleaning work. We are free from it. ” In fact, Steva likens the positions on the space station to the positions in a research institute or university: “Are the engineers or researchers in the laboratory also the ones who clean it, treat it, maintain it, clean the toilets, and go out to install antennas? I do not think so. There is a separation. ” According to him, to this day astronauts have been required to do everything, with the scientific part of the mission being, he said, “a small slice and less focused for them.” “We,” Steva explains, “devote 100 percent of our time to it. There was no such thing. We are four who are going to work full time and it is rare and special. “
“Everyone is an astronaut”
So yes, the matter is more complex than cruise altitude or these or other conditions, and it seems that even the question of who paid for the flight, is not always relevant. Let’s take for example a country without the resources or ability to develop its own space program or launch capabilities. And let’s say that the same country buys with the tax money of its citizens a seat from Axiom or SpaceX for an expert on its behalf, who will carry out scientific experiments in space to advance research in the name of that country. Is it still a space tourist?
Michael Lopez-Allegria. Source: NASA
It seems that the one who best summed up the complexity of the subject was Michael Lopez-Allegria, one of NASA’s most decorated and esteemed astronauts. Lopez Allegria, who incidentally holds the record for space travel (10 times), knows the subject of space with his two hats: both his career at NASA, and as vice president of Axiom, the company responsible for the mission and actually commercializing the space station. Lopez Allegria, who will be commander of the AX-1 mission in which Steva will take part, said recently: “It should be understood that there are many types of astronauts. Private astronauts, astronauts on behalf of countries, astronauts on behalf of companies… Waterbar… But what they all have in common is that they are all astronauts ”.
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Yaniv Avital
Giktiim website editor. Do you have an idea for the article? A secret tip? leak? Waiting for you at [email protected]
