Ilan Ramon

First Israeli astronaut, 1954- 1.2.2003

Ilan Ramon went on a 16-day mission to space on the Columbia board. Ilan was Israel’s first and only astronaut, so he became an Israeli symbol – a man who lived to his dreams and went as far as a human been can go.

Being Israeli meant that Ramon was representing a whole nation, a tiny one that achieved something many other nations did not achieve. During his mission, Ramon was submitting different experiments in space, some planned by Israeli youth.

Ramon was for many in Israel a sign of hope that we Israelis can go beyond any limit, beyond the borders of nations, the hater of enemies, the rough daily life in home, and touch the stars, literally.

When Ramon and his team went off the ground, we all watched it on TV, live, and our fingers were crossed hoping Ramon will be in space and back. We all saw him every night in news, talking Hebrew for us, about his mission. We all remember his wife Rona, sending him a song – a very famous one: will you here my voice, my lover, so far from me?

Ramon, a non-religious Jew, decided to take with him two personal things: the bible, our common origin, and the Israeli independents declaration. This is to symbolise where we came from and to where we will go in the future.

Ramon was born in Beer-Sheva, the Negev Capital. He proved that you could grow up in the periphery and still be a part of the Israeli main story. When he died, people all over Israel felt a star was missing in the sky, and many more kids felt their hero will never be forgotten.

Below is some info about Ramon. And always remember: the sky is (not) the limit!

http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/PS/ramon.html

ILAN RAMON (COLONEL, ISRAEL AIR FORCE)
PAYLOAD SPECIALIST

PERSONAL DATA: Born June 20,1954 in Tel Aviv, Israel. Died on February 1, 2003 over the southern United States when Space Shuttle Columbia and the crew perished during entry, 16 minutes prior to scheduled landing. His wife Rona and their four children survive him. He enjoyed snow skiing, squash.

EDUCATION: Graduated from High School in 1972; bachelor of science degree in electronics and computer engineering from the University of Tel Aviv, Israel, in 1987.

AWARDS: Posthumously awarded the Congressional Space Medal of Honor, the NASA Space Flight Medal, and the Distinguished Public Service Medal.

SPECIAL HONORS: Yom Kippur War (1973); Operation Peace for Galilee (1982); F-16 1,000 Flight Hours (1992).

EXPERIENCE: In 1974, Ramon graduated as a fighter pilot from the Israel Air Force (IAF) Flight School. From 1974-1976 he participated in A-4 Basic Training and Operations. 1976-1980 was spent in Mirage III-C training and operations. In 1980, as one of the IAF’s establishment team of the first F-16 Squadron in Israel, he attended the F-16 Training Course at Hill Air Force Base, Utah. From 1981-1983, he served as the Deputy Squadron Commander B, F-16 Squadron. From 1983-1987, he attended the University of Tel Aviv. From 1988-1990, he served as Deputy Squadron Commander A, F-4 Phantom Squadron. During 1990, he attended the Squadron Commanders Course. From 1990-1992, he served as Squadron Commander, F-16 Squadron. From 1992-1994, he was Head of the Aircraft Branch in the Operations Requirement Department. In 1994, he was promoted to the rank of Colonel and assigned as Head of the Department of Operational Requirement for Weapon Development and Acquisition. He stayed at this post until 1998.

Colonel Ramon accumulated over 3,000 flight hours on the A-4, Mirage III-C, and F-4, and over 1,000 flight hours on the F-16.

NASA EXPERIENCE: In 1997, Colonel Ramon was selected as a Payload Specialist. He was designated to train as prime for a Space Shuttle mission with a payload that included a multispectral camera for recording desert aerosol. In July 1998, he reported for training at the Johnson Space Center, Houston, where he trained until 2003. He flew aboard STS-107, logging 15 days, 22 hours and 20 minutes in space.

SPACE FLIGHT EXPERIENCE: STS-107 Columbia (January 16 to February 1, 2003). The 16-day flight was a dedicated science and research mission. Working 24 hours a day, in two alternating shifts, the crew successfully conducted approximately 80 experiments. The STS-107 mission ended abruptly on February 1, 2003 when Space Shuttle Columbia and the crew perished during entry, 16 minutes before scheduled landing.

(Www. http://www.avisher.com/ramon/eindex.html)

Colonel Ilan Ramon lost his life during the re-entry to earth of the Columbia Space Shuttle, after its mission completion.
Ilan was in preparation of the mission for the past four years at NASA training base in Houston, Texas. Ilan and his fellow astronauts, took off to space from the Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on Thursday, January the 16th at 17:39, Israel local time.
During the mission, they had to perform 80 scientific experiments, of which all were successful! On their second day in space, Rona, Ilan's wife, sent him a song - "Zemer Nooge" ("Melancholy Song"). On Saturday, February the 1st, 2003, while the entire Israeli Nation were watching the re-entry live on TV, the accident occurred.
During the attempt to re-enter earth's atmosphere, towards a successful landing at the
Kennedy Space Center, Florida, and the accident happened and the shuttle exploded above Texas. A farewell departure service from Colonel Ilan Ramon was held at an Air Force base on Monday, February 10th, 2003.
The military burial service was held in a private family and friend’s circle, according to the family's specific request, on Tuesday, February 11th, 2003 at the Nahalal Cemetery.