Ilan Ramon

Ilan Ramon
Ilan Ramon
	File:Ilan ramon nasa.jpg
Nationality	Israeli
Occupation	Fighter pilot
	Space career
Rank	Colonel, Israel Air Force
Time in space	15d 22h 20m
Selection	1996 NASA Group
Missions	STS-107
Mission insignia

Ilan Ramon (Hebrew: אילן רמון) (June 20, 1954 – February 1, 2003) was a combat pilot in the Israeli Air Force and later Israel's first astronaut and space shuttle payload specialist of STS-107 (Columbia) who was killed when the craft disintegrated during reentry into the Earth's atmosphere.

Personal data

Born June 20, 1954 in Ramat Gan Israel. Died on February 1, 2003 over the southern United States when Space Shuttle Columbia and his crew perished during entry, 16 minutes prior to scheduled landing. He is survived by his wife Rona and their four children. He enjoyed snow skiing and squash.

Ramon's mother and grandmother survived imprisonment in Auschwitz.

Although a secular Jew, 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 astronaut on a NASA flight to request kosher food.

He also gathered rabbinic opinions about observing the Jewish sabbath (Shabbat) while in space, since the period between sunrises in orbit is approximately 90 minutes.

Ramon was the first Israeli in space.

Aboard STS-107, Ramon carried a pencil sketch, "Moon Landscape", which was drawn by 14-year-old Petr Ginz who died of typhus in the Auschwitz nazi extermination camp. Ramon also brought a credit card-sized microfiche copy of the Torah given to him by Israeli president Moshe Katsav.

Education

1972: Graduated from High School
1987: Received a bachelor of science degree in electronics and computer engineering from the Tel-Aviv University, Israel

Air Force Career

Ramon was a Colonel and fighter pilot in the Israeli Air Force, with thousands of hours flying experience. He fought in the 1973 Yom Kippur War. In 1980, he was in the first group of Israeli pilots to fly F-16s donated to Israel by the United States. In 1981, he took part in the bombing of Iraq's unfinished Osiraq nuclear reactor (Operation Opera).

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

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. 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 was destroyed and her crew perished during re-entry, 16 minutes before scheduled landing.

Awards and honors

Military decorations:
- Yom Kippur War (1973)
- Operation Peace of the Galilee (1982)
- F-16 1,000 Flight Hours (1992).
Posthumously awarded:
Israeli national hero

Tributes

Asteroid 51828 Ilanramon
Ramon Hill, in the Columbia Hills, Mars
Ramon Hall, in the Columbia Village apartments, at the Florida Institute of Technology is named after him.
Ramon Airbase (Formeley Matred Airbase), in the south west of Beer Sheba. This base has three runways and was constructed by the USA. The base opened in 1981.
Ramon Airfield, several miles north of Mizpe Ramon. The base is generally used for transportation of IDF personnel to bases and from surrounding bases.