Ilan Ramon
Ilan Ramon | |
---|---|
אילן רמון | |
BSc ) | |
Awards | |
Space career | |
1996 NASA Group | |
Missions | STS-107 |
Mission insignia |
Ilan Ramon (Hebrew: אילן רמון; pronounced [(ʔ)iˈlan ʁaˈmon], born Ilan Wolfferman (אילן וולפרמן); June 20, 1954 – February 1, 2003)[1] was an Israeli fighter pilot and later the first Israeli astronaut. He served as a Space Shuttle payload specialist on STS-107, the fatal mission of Columbia, in which he and the six other crew members were killed when the spacecraft disintegrated during re-entry. At 48, Ramon was the oldest member of the crew. He is the only foreign recipient of the United States Congressional Space Medal of Honor, which was awarded posthumously.[2]
Biography
Born in
Ramon graduated from high school in 1972. In 1987, he graduated with a B.Sc. degree in electronics and computer engineering from Tel Aviv University.[6]
Air Force career
Ramon was a
In 1981, Ramon was the youngest pilot taking part in
After attending the
Ramon accumulated over 3,000 flight hours on the A-4, Mirage IIIC, and F-4, and over 1,000 flight hours on the F-16.[6]
NASA experience
NASA on-ground trainings
In 1997, Ramon was selected as a
Space flight: STS-107, Space Shuttle Columbia
STS-107 Columbia (January 16 – February 1, 2003), a 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.
Personally nonreligious, Ramon performed traditional observance while in orbit: "I feel I am representing all Jews and all Israelis." He was the first astronaut to request
The STS-107 mission ended abruptly when Space Shuttle Columbia was destroyed and its crew died during re-entry, 16 minutes before the scheduled landing.
Ramon, whose mother and grandmother were survivors of
Diary
Among the recovered 40% from the contents of the Columbia Space Shuttle that crashed outside
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 the first six days of the 16-day mission.[16]
Family
Ramon was survived by his wife, Rona, and their four children: Assaf, Tal, Yiftah, and Noa, who were in Florida at the time of the accident.
Assaf Ramon
Ramon's eldest son, Assaf (February 10, 1988 – September 13, 2009), died at age 21 during a routine training flight while piloting his F-16A, three months after graduating from the IAF flight school Hatzerim Airbase as the top cadet in his class.[17][18][19][20] Assaf lost consciousness during a spell of vertigo, as a result of the high speed and G-force conditions to which he was subjected. This led to the plane crash and Assaf's subsequent death. He was considered an excellent pilot.[21] A lieutenant of the Israeli Air Force, he was posthumously promoted to the rank of captain.[21]
Rona Ramon
Ramon's widow, Rona Ramon, served in the Israel Defense Forces as a paramedic and later earned a BA at the Wingate Institute. After Assaf's death, she returned to university and graduated with a master's degree in holistic health at Lesley University, Massachusetts. She also lectured about dealing with grief and finding coping mechanisms. Rona served as founding CEO of the nonprofit Ramon Foundation for youth academic excellence and social leadership through science and technology.[22] She died of pancreatic cancer on December 17, 2018.[23] She was posthoumosly awarded the Israel Prize for lifetime achievement.
Tal Ramon
On November 10, 2013, the American Society for Yad Vashem held a special event with the participation of Ramon's son, Tal, who performed a song he wrote in memory of his father.[24] Tal Ramon performed his debut album, Dmut, at the club Zappa Tel Aviv in 2016.[24]
Awards and honors
- Military decorations:
- Yom Kippur War campaign ribbon (1973)
- 1982 Lebanon War campaign ribbon (1982)
- F-161,000 Flight Hours (1992).
- Posthumously awarded:
- IDF Chief of Staff Medal of Appreciation
- Congressional Space Medal of Honor (Ramon is the only non-U.S. citizen recipient to date)[25]
- NASA Space Flight Medal
Namesakes
In Israel
- Ramon Airport, named in honor of Ilan and Assaf Ramon[26]
- The international Ilan Ramon Conference,[27] hosted by the Israel Space Agency
- Ilan Ramon Youth Physics Center, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beersheba
- Ramon Control Tower, Ben-Gurion Airport
- Ilan Ramon Elementary School, Be'er Ya'akov
- Ilan Ramon Elementary School, Jerusalem
- Ilan Ramon Junior High School, Kfar Saba
- Ilan Ramon Elementary School, Netanya
- Ramon Elementary School, Modi'in
- Ramon High School, Hod Hasharon
- Ilan Ramon Junior High, Kokhav Ya'ir[28]
- Ilan Ramon Emergency Center, Kaplan Hospital, Rehovot
- Ramon Park, Givat Shmuel
- Ilan Ramon Park, space-themed playground, Beersheba
In Canada
- Ilan Ramon Boulevard,Vaughan, Ontario, Canada
- Ilan Ramon Crescent, , Canada
In the United States
- Ramon Hall, in the Columbia Village apartments, Florida Institute of Technology[31]
- Ilan Ramon AZA #380, Boulder, Colorado
- Ilan Ramon BBYO #5378, Oviedo, Florida
- Ramon AZA #195 (named after Ilan and Assaf Ramon), Sunnyvale, California
- Ilan Ramon Day School, Agoura, California
In space
- Asteroid 51828 Ilanramon
- Ramon Hill, Columbia Hills on Mars
- Ramon Crater, within the Apollo basin, on the far side of the Moon[32]
See also
- Space Shuttle Columbia disaster
- Columbia: The Tragic Loss, a documentary that focuses on Ilan Ramon
References
- ISBN 978-0-7613-2888-9. Retrieved May 26, 2011.
- ^ "On This Day: Israel's Ilan Ramon dies in Columbia space shuttle disaster". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. Retrieved January 21, 2023.
- ^ "Israel's first astronaut - Ilan Ramon". Haaretz. April 2, 2008. Retrieved September 1, 2011.
- ^ Mike Campbell. "Ilan". Behindthename.com. Retrieved September 1, 2011.
- ^ "The Hebraization of Surnames". Jewish Agency for Israel. Archived from the original on July 21, 2011. Retrieved November 24, 2019.
order to .. Israel Defense Forces .. officer
- ^ a b c d "ILAN RAMON (COLONEL, ISRAEL AIR FORCE), PAYLOAD SPECIALIST" (PDF). NASA. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
- ^ Service, Haaretz (February 1, 2003). "Astronaut Ilan Ramon's son dies in IAF crash, September 13, 2009". Haaretz. Retrieved September 1, 2011.
- ^ "Factfile: How Osirak was bombed". BBC News. June 5, 2006. Retrieved May 5, 2010.
- ^ Konikov, Zvi. "official website". Chabad.org. Retrieved September 1, 2011.
- ISBN 1-58013-118-2. Retrieved May 2, 2011.
- ^ Brown, Irene (January 27, 2003). "Israeli astronaut busy up in space". Jta.org. Archived from the original on November 30, 2011. Retrieved September 1, 2011.
- ^ a b Loretta Hidalgo Whitesides (October 2008). "Diary Survived Shuttle Accident, Goes On Display". Wired.
cardboard-covered, three-ring bound .. found wet and crumpled .. field .. Palestine, Texas.
- ^ "Pride Turns to Grief and Disbelief in Israel". LATimes.com Los Angeles Times. February 2, 2003.
- ^ a b c Ohm, Shawna (October 3, 2008). "Astronaut's diary goes on display in Jerusalem". Associated Press. Retrieved October 23, 2011.
- ^ "Photos of "miracle" diary here". yahoo.com. Retrieved September 1, 2011.
- ^ Toni O'Loughlin (October 4, 2008). "Diary that survived shuttle blast goes on show". London: Guardian. Retrieved September 1, 2011.
- ^ "Jet crash kills Israel hero's son". BBC News. September 13, 2009. Retrieved September 1, 2011.
- ^ Heller, Aron (January 31, 2013). "Decade after shuttle disaster, Rona Ramon still trying to cope". The Times of Israel. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
- ^ Death of Ilan Ramon's son, Asaf Ramon Archived September 12, 2017, at the Wayback Machine (hebrew)
- ^ Sorcher, Sara (September 14, 2009). "Israel Mourns Assaf Ramon, Astronaut's Son". abc news. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
- ^ a b Boudreaux, Richard (September 14, 2009). "Israel pilot Assaf Ramon, astronaut's son, dies in F-16 crash". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
- ^ "Rona Ramon, widow of astronaut killed in Space Shuttle Columbia, dies at 54". December 17, 2018.
- ^ "Rona Ramon, widow of Israeli astronaut Ilan Ramon, passed away - Israel News - Jerusalem Post". www.jpost.com. Retrieved December 17, 2018.
- ^ a b Hendelman, Ariel Dominique (April 30, 2016). "Piano man". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved June 20, 2023.
- ^ "Congressional Space Medal of Honor". NASA. April 28, 2006. Retrieved December 5, 2009.
- ^ Ibrahim, Raymond (July 18, 2010). "New Timna airport to be named after Ilan and Assaf Ramon". Jpost.com. Retrieved September 1, 2011.
- ^ "Ilan Ramon Conference". Ilan Ramon Conference 2020 (in Hebrew). Archived from the original on December 15, 2019. Retrieved December 15, 2019.
- ^ "Ilan Ramon Junior High, Kochav-Yair". Archived from the original on August 29, 2011. Retrieved October 23, 2011.
- ^ Shoshana Poznansky (May 7, 2007). "UJA Foundation: Lag B'omer festival". Jewishtoronto.net. Retrieved September 1, 2011.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "UJA Foundation". Archived from the original on May 15, 2008. Retrieved February 2, 2008.
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: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ "Florida Tech dedicates dorms to Columbia 7". Archived from the original on January 18, 2008. Retrieved September 1, 2011.
- IAU. Retrieved June 16, 2021.
External links
- "ILAN RAMON (COLONEL, ISRAEL AIR FORCE)". NASA. February 2003. Retrieved May 7, 2019.
- Photo of Ilan Ramon with Chabad Rabbi Zvi Konikov
- Ilan Ramon STS-107 Crew Memorial
- A collection of articles about Ilan Ramon
- Ilan Ramon Memorial pages in the Israel Science and Technology Directory
- Spacefacts biography of Ilan Ramon
- Excerpts from Ilan Ramon's diary Archived February 17, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
- Ramon Foundation