The new director of the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration, who is visiting Israel this week, said Thursday that he would consider sending a second Israeli astronaut into space.
Israel's first NASA astronaut, Ilan Ramon, died in 2003 aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia, which disintegrated upon re-entry into the earth's atmosphere due to a structural failure.
Jim Bridenstine, named NASA chief in late April, chose Israel for his first international visit.
He met Thursday with Science and Technology Minister Ofir Akunis and the two agreed to expand Israeli Space Agency and NASA collaborations, including on issues concerning the international space station, space exploration and earth science research.
Akunis expressed interest in sending a second Israeli astronaut into space and Bridenstine said the United States would consider the request.
During a joint press conference in Jerusalem, Bridenstine spoke of U.S. President Donald Trump's plans to again send American astronauts to the moon.
NASA is exploring options to build a lunar space vessel that would be used by astronauts to probe the moon and serve as a launching position for deep-space missions, he said.
Bridenstine concluded by stating that "NASA has a great deal of interest in Israeli technologies."
Akunis later released a statement saying, "The joint agreement signed today symbolizes the mutual interest in building scientific and technological capabilities in space.
"The fact that the head of NASA chose his first visit outside U.S. borders to be in Israel says a great deal about the close alliance between the two countries and the tremendous appreciation that they [the U.S.] have for Israel's vast technological capabilities in the field of space."
