INNOVATION

Eytan Stibbe

Astronaut

Former Israeli fighter pilot Eytan Stibbe will soon become the second astronaut in the country’s history, a November 2020 announcement from the Israel Space Agency confirmed. Stibbe is slated to take off for the International Space Station in late 2021 for a mission of just over a week, during which he’ll conduct a series of experiments intended to advance Israeli technological development. Joining Stibbe as the announcement of his mission was made was Tal Ramon – son of the first Israeli astronaut, Ilan Ramon, who was tragically killed with six fellow crew members in a shuttle reentry disaster in 2003. “As a child, on dark nights I used to look up to the sky and wonder what’s there beyond what I could see,” Stibbe said in a statement. “It takes great courage for us to be able to release ourselves from that which ties us down, to leave gravity.” (Photo: The ImPact / Screenshot)