Ilan Ramon

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Ilan Ramon
ISA Astronaut
Status Deceased
Born June 20, 1954
Ramat Gan, Israel
Died February 1, 2003 (aged 48)
Over Texas
Previous occupation Fighter pilot
Rank Colonel, Israeli Air Force
Time in space 15d 22h 20m
Selection 1996 NASA Group
Missions STS-107
Mission insignia

Ilan Ramon (June 20, 1954 - February 1, 2003; Hebrew: אילן רמון‎) was a fighter pilot in the Israeli Air Force, and later the first Israeli astronaut. Ramon was the space shuttle payload specialist of STS-107, the fatal mission of Columbia, where he and six other crew members were killed in a re-entry accident over Southern Texas. Ramon is the only foreign recipient of the United States Congressional Space Medal of Honor.

Contents

[edit] Personal life

Ramon was born in Ramat Gan, Israel and grew up in Beersheba. His mother and grandmother are survivors of Auschwitz concentration camp.

Although a secular Jew[1][2] and he described himself as such, [3] Ramon sought to follow Jewish observances while in orbit. In an interview he said, "I feel I am representing all Jews and all Israelis." He was the first spaceflight participant to request kosher food.

He also gathered rabbinic opinions from the local Chabad-Lubavitch representative Rabbi Zvi Konikov, about observing the Jewish Sabbath (Shabbat) while in space, since the period between sunrises in orbit is approximately 90 minutes. This later became famous by the words "Jerusalem we have a problem" (said in Rabbi Konikov's speech at the Kennedy Space Center Memorial for Columbia on February 7, 2003[4]).

Aboard STS-107, Ramon carried a pencil sketch, "Moon Landscape", drawn by 14-year-old Petr Ginz, who died in Auschwitz. Ramon also took with him a microfiche copy of the Torah (from the Holocaust) given to him by Israeli president Moshe Katsav. Ramon asked the 1939 Club, a Holocaust survivor organization in Los Angeles, for a symbol of the Holocaust to take into outer space with him. A barbed wire Mezuzah by San Francisco Artist Aimee Golant was selected. Ramon also took with him a dollar of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson.

The name Ilan means tree (in Hebrew).[5]

Ramon and the rest of the Columbia crew died over East Texas in the Southern United States during entry into Earth's atmosphere, 16 minutes prior to scheduled landing.

Ramon is survived by his wife Rona and their four children who were in Texas at the time of the accident.

[edit] "Miracle" diary

Thirty-seven pages from the diary he was keeping while in orbit survived the crash and were returned to his widow; she has shared an excerpt with the Israeli public in a display at Jerusalem's Israel Museum.[6] Rona brought it to Israel Museum forensic experts. Curator Yigal Zalmona[7] said the diary was partially restored in 1 year, and needed 4 more, for police scientists to decipher 80% of the text. Only 2 pages were displayed, 1 containing Ramon's notes, and the other is a copy of the Kiddush prayer.[8] Yigal Zalmona stated: "The diary survived extreme heat in the explosion, extreme atmospheric cold, and then "was attacked by microorganisms and insects. It's almost a miracle that it survived — it's incredible. There is 'no rational explanation' for how it was recovered when most of the shuttle was not, he said."[9] Ramon wrote on the last day of the journal:

“ "Today was the first day that I felt that I am truly living in space. I have become a man who lives and works in space." ”

Inscribed in black ink and pencil, it covered just the first 6 days of the 16-day mission. The papers remained white, not charred from the explosion, 37 miles above the Earth.[10]

[edit] Education

Ramon graduated from high school in 1972. In 1987, he graduated with a B.Sc. in electronics and computer engineering from Tel-Aviv University, Israel.

[edit] Air Force career

Nose of F-16A flown by Ilan Ramon in Operation Opera, showing the triangular emblem of the attack on Osirak, and a Syrian Air Force roundel 'killmark'.

Ramon was a Colonel (Aluf Mishne) and fighter pilot in the Israeli Air Force, with thousands of hours flying experience. In 1980, he was in the first group of Israeli pilots to fly the newly purchased F-16s. In 1981 he was the youngest pilot taking part in the bombing of Iraq's unfinished Osiraq nuclear reactor (Operation Opera) killing ten Iraqi soldiers and one French researcher.

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.

After attending the Tel Aviv University, he served as Deputy Squadron Commander A, F-4 Phantom Squadron (1988–1990). 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.

[edit] NASA experience

Payload specialist Ilan Ramon

[edit] NASA on-ground trainings

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 (dust). 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.

[edit] Space flight experience

Ilan Ramon photographed aboard Space Shuttle Columbia, January 26, 2003

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

[edit] Awards and honors

[edit] Commemoration

Ilan Ramon's grave in Nahalal

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ http://www.jewishsf.com/content/2-0-/module/displaystory/story_id/25148/edition_id/491/format/html/displaystory.html
  2. ^ http://www.ascentofsafed.com/cgi-bin/ascent.cgi?Name=ilanramon
  3. ^ http://www.jsbielicki.com/piast/ilan-ramon.htm
  4. ^ http://www.chabad.org/multimedia/media_cdo/aid/633325/jewish/Remembering-Ilan-Ramon.htm
  5. ^ http://www.behindthename.com/name/ilan
  6. ^ Ohm, Shawna (2008-10-03). "Astronaut's diary goes on display in Jerusalem". Associate Press. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081003/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_israel_astronaut_s_diary. Retrieved on 2008-10-04. 
  7. ^ yahoo.com/nphotos, Photos
  8. ^ news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081003, Astronaut's diary goes on display in Jerusalem
  9. ^ google.com, Astronaut's diary goes on display in Jerusalem
  10. ^ guardian.co.uk, Diary that survived shuttle blast goes on show
  11. ^ http://www.floridatoday.com/columbia/columbiastory2N1029TECH.htm Florida Today - Florida Tech dedicates dorms to Columbia 7–October 29, 2003
  12. ^ Ilan Ramon Youth Physics Center - Loading
  13. ^ Ilan Ramon Junior High, Kochav-Yair
  14. ^ UJA Foundation: Lag B’omer festival
  15. ^ UJA Foundation

[edit] See also

[edit] References

[edit] External links

v • d • e
Congressional Space Medal of Honor
v • d • e
STS-107
Seal of STS-107 Main articles Crew photo of STS-107
Crew
Husband (Cmdr) · McCool · Brown · Chawla · Anderson · Clark · Ramon
See also
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ilan_Ramon"
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