The Fisher Institute and Nanoracks Cooperation Agreement Reaches Fruition

Israeli bio-medical experiments on-board NASA’s Endeavour’s final mission

“Working with NanoRacks and NASA is important to the Israel position as a leader in the field of space and bio-medical research.”

The Fisher Institute for Strategic Air and Space Studies signed a contract with NanoRacks to pursue cooperation in the field of space exploration. The first project resulting from this agreement is Israel’s expected participation on the cube payload laboratory of NASA’s Space Shuttle Endeavour’s final mission, STS-134.

Jeffrey Manber is a leading figure in the field of space projects for over 20 years. He brought together the American and Russian Aerospace industries, was the first to develop the concept of space tourism aboard Space Station Mir, and served as adviser to presidents Reagan, Clinton and Obama in matters of outer space. He now heads NanoRacks LLC which is a private group championing international civilian space activity and enjoys a Space Act Agreement with NASA’s U.S. National Lab on International Space Station. Manber explains: “the Fisher Institute’s space project is a good example of why most space activity should be moved to research institutions and the private sector. These professional organizations are much more efficient and innovative than institutionalized systems of governments and government agencies.

The head of the Fisher Institute, Brig. Gen. (ret.) Asaf Agmon, said: “toward the end of the space shuttle program, the Fisher Institute sees great importance in Israel’s participation in this important project. Maj. Gen. (ret.) Herzl Bodinger, chairman of the board of the Institute, adds that “in addition to the scientific importance of the experiments, they are very important to Israel position as a leader in the field of space and bio-medical research”.

The Fisher Institute was founded by the Israel Air force Federation in an effort to advance public interest and debate in Israel in the field of aerospace sciences. The institute carries out research and publishes a variety of publication. The annual international space conference in memory of Col. Ilan Ramon, the first Israeli astronaut, takes place under the auspices of the Institute.

The Center for Aerospace Medicine Research is part of the Fisher Institute. The Center holds ties with similar centers around the world, as well as with space agencies throughout the globe. The Center’s researchers work with leading figures from all academic institutions in Israel.

Dr. Eran Schenker heads the Aerospace Medicine Research Center. Dr. Schenker is a NASA trained space physician, acting as primary investigator on all Israeli bio-medical experiments in space conducted on-board NASA space shuttles in the last 15 years. Dr. Schenker as the primary investigator of the upcoming Microgravity life science space project on STS-134 will monitor the study from Kennedy Space Center.

NanoRacks LLC was formed in 2009 to provide quality hardware and services for the U.S. National Laboratory onboard the International Space Station. The Company has two research platforms onboard the U.S. National Laboratory which can house plug and play payloads using the CubeSat form factor. Our current signed customer pipeline of over 50 payloads including domestic and international educational institutions, research organizations and government organizations, has propelled NanoRacks into a leadership position in understanding the emerging commercial market for low-earth orbit utilization. Visit us at http://www.nanoracks.com or @nanoracks.