Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Live At Daybreak

Rare Science Mission Includes First Israeli Astronaut

Aired January 16, 2003 - 06:37   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


COSTELLO: The shuttle Columbia is set to lift off about four hours from now, but there is something different about this one, and that's brought out a lot of security.
Our space correspondent, Miles O'Brien, is live at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Miles -- what's different about this mission?

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN SPACE CORRESPONDENT: Well, in two words, Ilan Ramon. He is an air force colonel, but it's not the U.S. Air Force. It's the much vaunted Israel air force. He's set to make a little space history today. There you see Colonel Ramon, 48 years old, born in Israel, a citizen of Israel, son of a Holocaust survivor.

And this particular mission, although all shuttle missions are given close security scrutiny, particularly post-9/11, this mission, the story is keeping things secure and making sure the shuttle is safe prior to launch, just as much as it is in space.

Security very much present here. It's kind of a tense time right now, as they hope to get Mr. Ramon and the crew safely off and into space about four hours from now.

The weather is pristine, Carol. That's not going to be a problem. There you see some of the mounted (ph) police at the Hilton Hotel, where the Israeli delegation numbering about 300 is. Snipers on the roof. It kind of looks like an embassy, a U.S. embassy you might see overseas, bomb-sniffing dogs.

It's been pretty intense, and the concern, NASA says, is justified. There's a huge no-fly zone around the spot I'm sitting right now, which has been in effect since about 1:40 in the morning.

There you see the shuttle Columbia all fueled up with 500,000 gallons of liquid hydrogen and oxygen. It's got the explosive force of a small nuclear bomb. So, you don't have to be too much of a rocket scientist to figure out that is a tempting target for terrorists no matter who is inside. In this case, of course, they think the security level should be increased.

Once they get in space -- it's a 16-day science mission. They've got all kinds -- they've got a menagerie of animals going up, everything from spiders to bees to rats. They'll be looking at all kinds of issues relating to weightlessness and its effects on the human body. And they hope to come up with a few novel approaches for going after things like prostrate cancer -- Carol. COSTELLO: Miles O'Brien, thanks for the report this morning.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.






Aired January 16, 2003 - 06:37   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
COSTELLO: The shuttle Columbia is set to lift off about four hours from now, but there is something different about this one, and that's brought out a lot of security.
Our space correspondent, Miles O'Brien, is live at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Miles -- what's different about this mission?

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN SPACE CORRESPONDENT: Well, in two words, Ilan Ramon. He is an air force colonel, but it's not the U.S. Air Force. It's the much vaunted Israel air force. He's set to make a little space history today. There you see Colonel Ramon, 48 years old, born in Israel, a citizen of Israel, son of a Holocaust survivor.

And this particular mission, although all shuttle missions are given close security scrutiny, particularly post-9/11, this mission, the story is keeping things secure and making sure the shuttle is safe prior to launch, just as much as it is in space.

Security very much present here. It's kind of a tense time right now, as they hope to get Mr. Ramon and the crew safely off and into space about four hours from now.

The weather is pristine, Carol. That's not going to be a problem. There you see some of the mounted (ph) police at the Hilton Hotel, where the Israeli delegation numbering about 300 is. Snipers on the roof. It kind of looks like an embassy, a U.S. embassy you might see overseas, bomb-sniffing dogs.

It's been pretty intense, and the concern, NASA says, is justified. There's a huge no-fly zone around the spot I'm sitting right now, which has been in effect since about 1:40 in the morning.

There you see the shuttle Columbia all fueled up with 500,000 gallons of liquid hydrogen and oxygen. It's got the explosive force of a small nuclear bomb. So, you don't have to be too much of a rocket scientist to figure out that is a tempting target for terrorists no matter who is inside. In this case, of course, they think the security level should be increased.

Once they get in space -- it's a 16-day science mission. They've got all kinds -- they've got a menagerie of animals going up, everything from spiders to bees to rats. They'll be looking at all kinds of issues relating to weightlessness and its effects on the human body. And they hope to come up with a few novel approaches for going after things like prostrate cancer -- Carol. COSTELLO: Miles O'Brien, thanks for the report this morning.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.