The Mediterranean Israeli Dust Experiment and its Legacy

• In Event: Technology, Invention, and Infrastructure: From Millstones to Outer Space and Back Again

Abstract

On February 1, 2003, the Space Shuttle Columbia broke apart over Texas, just sixteen minutes from landing on the STS-107 mission. Many authors have written about the tragedy that took NASA's first Space Shuttle and her crew of seven astronauts, but scholars must also consider the legacy of the work they did in Earth orbit. One of their experiments was a joint project between the United States and Israel that advanced environmental research: the Mediterranean Israeli Dust Experiment (MEIDEX). Under the agreement, Israeli astronaut Ilan Ramon flew aboard Columbia and operated a MEIDEX instrument housed in the shuttle's payload bay. Data from the project advanced understanding of the distribution and physical properties of dust, a type of aerosol that affects the temperature of Earth and the health of humans living on it. This paper will examine the legacy of this project, in terms of the technical breakthroughs that made the experiment possible, the significance of the data returned about such a vital environmental issue, and the significance of the experiment in firing the imaginations of people around the world. After the tragedy, the remnants of the experiment that Ramon conducted returned to his native Israel. The memory of both the experiment and Ramon himself continue to inspire the Israeli people, thanks especially to the Ramon Foundation that promotes academic excellence in this country. Meanwhile, the International Space Station has housed an instrument since 2022 that continually monitors dust and carries on in the legacy of Columbia's experiment. All of this remains a powerful reminder that even one of the most tragic events in the history of human spaceflight has produced compelling accomplishments, from a scientific point of view and a cultural point of view.

Author

• Tyler Peterson, CSU Pueblo