Ilan Ramon

{{Short description|Israeli fighter pilot and astronaut (1954–2003)}} {{Use American English|date=June 2023}} {{Use mdy dates|date=June 2023}} {{Infobox astronaut | native_name = {{Nobold|אילן רמון}} | native_name_lang = he | image = Ilan Ramon, NASA photo portrait in orange suit.jpg | caption = Ramon in 2001 | type = ISA astronaut | birth_date = {{birth date|1954|06|20}} | birth_name = Ilan Wolfferman | birth_place = Ramat Gan, Israel | death_date = {{Death date and age|mf=yes|2003|02|01|1954|06|20}} | death_place = {{nowrap|over Texas, U.S.}} | death_cause = Space Shuttle ''Columbia'' disaster | status =  | previous_occupation = Fighter pilot | alma_mater = Tel Aviv University (BSc) | rank = Colonel, Israeli Air Force | selection = 1996 NASA Group | time = 15d 22h 20m | mission = STS-107 | insignia = 30px | awards = {{indented plainlist| * Congressional Space Medal of Honor * NASA Distinguished Service Medal }} }}

'''Ilan Ramon''' ({{langx|he|אילן רמון}}; {{IPA|he|(ʔ)iˈlan ʁaˈmon|pron}}, born '''Ilan Wolfferman''' ({{lang|he|אילן וולפרמן}}); June 20, 1954 – February 1, 2003)<ref name="Stone20032">{{cite book|last=Stone|first=Tanya Lee|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=a8G9I_a2s9oC&pg=PA10|title=Ilan Ramon: Israel's First Astronaut|date=October 1, 2003|publisher=Kar-Ben Publishing|isbn=978-0-7613-2888-9|page=10|access-date=May 26, 2011}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{Cite web |title=On This Day: Israel's Ilan Ramon dies in Columbia space shuttle disaster |url=https://www.jpost.com/science/article-695143 |access-date=January 21, 2023 |website=The Jerusalem Post |date=February 2022 |language=en-US |issn=0792-822X}}</ref>

==Biography== Born in Ramat Gan, Israel, to Tonya (1929–2003) and Eliezer Wolfferman (1923–2006), a family of Ashkenazi Jewish descent, Ramon grew up in Beersheba. His father was from Germany, and his family fled Nazi persecution in 1935. His mother and grandmother were from Poland, and were Holocaust survivors, having been in Auschwitz. They emigrated to Israel in 1949.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.haaretz.com/news/israel-s-first-astronaut-ilan-ramon-1.21875|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121023013223/http://www.haaretz.com/news/israel-s-first-astronaut-ilan-ramon-1.21875|url-status=dead|archive-date=October 23, 2012|title=Israel's first astronaut - Ilan Ramon|work=Haaretz|date=April 2, 2008|access-date=September 1, 2011}}</ref> Ramon's first name, Ilan, means "tree" in Hebrew.<ref>{{cite web|author=Mike Campbell|url=http://www.behindthename.com/name/ilan|title=Ilan|publisher=Behindthename.com|access-date=September 1, 2011}}</ref> Ramon Hebraizied his surname from '''Wolfferman''' to '''Ramon''', a more "Israeli (Sabra)" name, when he joined the Israeli Air Force (IAF). This was customary and expected of IAF pilots, as well as among IDF senior officers at the time.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.jewish-world.org.il/Roots/English/2/InfoPages/IvrotLastName.asp?Language=English&PageLink=&unit=2&session=3&lesson=2&CF=152&CFS=1.3 |quote=order to .. Israel Defense Forces .. officer |title=The Hebraization of Surnames |publisher=Jewish Agency for Israel |access-date=November 24, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110721143456/http://www.jewish-world.org.il/Roots/English/2/InfoPages/IvrotLastName.asp?Language=English&PageLink=&unit=2&session=3&lesson=2&CF=152&CFS=1.3 |archive-date=July 21, 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

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.<ref name=nasabio/>

==Air Force career== thumb|left|Ramon as a Colonel in the Israeli Air Force [[File:IAF F-16A Netz 243 CIAF 2004.jpg|thumb|The F-16 ''Netz #243'' flown by Ramon in Operation Opera. The green and black triangular emblem on the nose commemorates the attack.]] Ramon was a Colonel (''Aluf Mishne'') and a fighter pilot in the Israeli Air Force, with thousands of hours of flying experience. He began the fighter pilot's course at the Israeli Air Force Flight Academy in 1972, but was forced to suspend his studies after breaking his hand. Ramon served in an electronic warfare unit in the Sinai during the Yom Kippur War, and afterwards, returned to the flight academy. He graduated from the fighter pilots' course in 1974. From 1974 to 1976, Ramon participated in A-4 Skyhawk Basic Training and Operations. From 1976 to 1980, he participated in training and operations for the Mirage IIIC. In 1980, as one of the IAF's establishment team of the first F-16 Squadron in Israel, Ramon attended the F-16 Training Course at Hill Air Force Base, Utah. From 1981 to 1983, he served as the Deputy Squadron Commander B, F-16 Squadron.<ref name=nasabio/>

In 1981, Ramon was the youngest pilot taking part in Operation Opera, Israel's strike against Iraq's unfinished Osiraq nuclear reactor. The facility was destroyed, killing ten Iraqi soldiers and one French researcher.<ref>{{cite news|last=Service |first=Haaretz |url=https://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1114256.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090922184157/http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1114256.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=September 22, 2009 |title=Astronaut Ilan Ramon's son dies in IAF crash, September 13, 2009 |publisher=Haaretz |date=February 1, 2003 |access-date=September 1, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/5020778.stm | work=BBC News | title=Factfile: How Osirak was bombed | date=June 5, 2006 | access-date=May 5, 2010}}</ref> Ramon also participated in the 1982 Lebanon War.

After attending Tel Aviv University, Ramon served as Deputy Squadron Commander A, 119 Squadron, flying the F-4 Phantom (1988–1990). In 1990, he attended the Squadron Commanders Course and between 1990 and 1992, commanded 117 Squadron, flying the F-16. From 1992 to 1994, Ramon 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. Ramon stayed at this post until 1998.

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.<ref name=nasabio>{{cite web|url=https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/ramon.pdf |title=ILAN RAMON (COLONEL, ISRAEL AIR FORCE), PAYLOAD SPECIALIST |publisher=NASA |access-date=May 15, 2021}}</ref>

==NASA experience== thumb|right|upright|Ramon in November 2001

===NASA on-ground trainings=== In 1997, 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, Ramon reported for training at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, where he trained until 2003. Ramon flew aboard STS-107, logging 15 days, 22 hours and 20 minutes in space.

===Space flight: STS-107, Space Shuttle ''Columbia''=== right|thumb|Ramon photographed aboard ''Columbia'' on January 26, 2003 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 kosher food and marked the Sabbath.<ref>{{cite web|last=Konikov |first=Zvi |url=http://www.chabad.org/multimedia/media_cdo/aid/633325/jewish/Remembering-Ilan-Ramon.htm |title=official website |publisher=Chabad.org |access-date=September 1, 2011}}</ref> Ramon, whose mother and grandmother were survivors of Auschwitz, was asked by S. Isaac Mekel, director of development at the American Society for Yad Vashem, to take an item from Yad Vashem aboard STS-107. Ramon carried with him a pencil sketch, ''Moon Landscape'', drawn by 16-year-old Petr Ginz, who was murdered in Auschwitz. Ramon also took with him a microfiche copy of the Torah given to him by Israeli president Moshe Katsav and a miniature Torah scroll (from the Holocaust) that was given to him by Prof. Yehoyachin Yosef, a Bergen Belsen survivor.<ref>{{cite book |title=Keeping the Promise |last=Lehman-Wilzig |first=Tami |author2=Craig Orback |year=2003 |publisher=Kar-Ben publishing |location=MN |isbn=1-58013-118-2 |url=https://archive.org/details/keepingpromiset00lehm |url-access=registration |access-date=May 2, 2011 |ref=LEHMAN-WILZIG_2003}}</ref> 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 the San Francisco artist Aimee Golant was selected. Ramon also took with him a dollar of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson.<ref>{{cite news |last=Brown |first=Irene |url=https://jta.org/news/article/2003/01/27/9859/Israeliastronautto |title=Israeli astronaut busy up in space |publisher=Jta.org |date=January 27, 2003 |access-date=September 1, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111130160622/http://www.jta.org/news/article/2003/01/27/9859/Israeliastronautto |archive-date=November 30, 2011 }}</ref>

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 before scheduled landing.<ref name="nasabio" />

===Diary=== Among the recovered 40% from the contents of the ''Columbia'' Space Shuttle that broke up over Texas, were 37 pages of Ramon's diary, which NASA returned to his wife.<ref name=PC40.Wired>{{cite magazine |magazine=Wired |url=https://www.wired.com/2008/10/dairy-survived |title=Diary Survived Shuttle Accident, Goes On Display |quote=cardboard-covered, three-ring bound .. found wet and crumpled .. field .. Palestine, Texas. |author=Loretta Hidalgo Whitesides |date=October 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |newspaper=LATimes.com Los Angeles Times |title=Pride Turns to Grief and Disbelief in Israel |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2003-feb-02-na-israel2-story.html |date=February 2, 2003}}</ref> His widow, Rona,<ref name=PC40.Wired/> shared an excerpt with the Israeli public in a display at Jerusalem's Israel Museum.<ref name="diary1">{{cite news|first=Shawna |last=Ohm|url=https://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2008-10-03-astronaut-diary_N.htm|title=Astronaut's diary goes on display in Jerusalem|publisher=Associated Press|date=October 3, 2008|access-date=October 23, 2011}}</ref> Rona Ramon brought it to Israel Museum forensic experts. Only two pages were displayed, one containing Ramon's notes, and the other is a copy of the Kiddush prayer.<ref name="diary1"/> Curator Yigal Zalmona<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.yahoo.com/nphotos/slideshow/photo//081003/481/e19cacc4165d4e6b83e2b9dc67401ad0/#photoViewer=/081003/481/e19cacc4165d4e6b83e2b9dc67401ad0 |title=Photos of "miracle" diary '''here''' |publisher=yahoo.com |access-date=September 1, 2011}}</ref> said the diary was partially restored in one year, and needed four more, for police scientists to decipher 80% of the text. 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."<ref name="diary1"/> Ramon wrote on the last day of the journal: {{blockquote|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.<ref>{{cite news|author=Toni O'Loughlin|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/oct/04/israelandthepalestinians.spaceexploration |title=Diary that survived shuttle blast goes on show|publisher=Guardian |date= October 4, 2008|access-date=September 1, 2011 |location=London}}</ref>

==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. 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.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.jta.org/2018/12/17/obituaries/rona-ramon-widow-of-astronaut-killed-in-space-shuttle-columbia-dies-at-54|title=Rona Ramon, widow of astronaut killed in Space Shuttle Columbia, dies at 54|date=December 17, 2018}}</ref> She died of pancreatic cancer on December 17, 2018.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Rona-Ramon-widow-of-Israeli-astronaut-Ilan-Ramon-passed-away-574567|title=Rona Ramon, widow of Israeli astronaut Ilan Ramon, passed away - Israel News - Jerusalem Post|website=www.jpost.com|date=December 17, 2018 |access-date=December 17, 2018}}</ref> She was posthumously awarded the Israel Prize for lifetime achievement.

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.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8253465.stm |title=Jet crash kills Israel hero's son |publisher=BBC News |date=September 13, 2009 |access-date=September 1, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Heller |first=Aron |date=January 31, 2013 |title=Decade after shuttle disaster, Rona Ramon still trying to cope |url=http://www.timesofisrael.com/decade-after-shuttle-disaster-rona-ramon-still-trying-to-cope/ |newspaper=The Times of Israel |access-date=April 1, 2015 }}</ref><ref>[http://news.nana10.co.il/Article/?ArticleID=664996 Death of Ilan Ramon's son, Asaf Ramon] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170912103312/http://news.nana10.co.il/Article/?ArticleID=664996 |date=September 12, 2017 }} (hebrew)</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Sorcher |first=Sara |date=September 14, 2009 |title=Israel Mourns Assaf Ramon, Astronaut's Son |url=https://abcnews.go.com/International/assaf-ramon-killed-21-israel-mourns-ilan-ramons/story?id=8566401 |newspaper=abc news |access-date=April 1, 2015 }}</ref> 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.<ref name="Boudreaux">{{cite news |last=Boudreaux |first=Richard |date=September 14, 2009 |title=Israel pilot Assaf Ramon, astronaut's son, dies in F-16 crash |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2009-sep-14-fg-israel-crash14-story.html |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |access-date=April 1, 2015}}</ref> A lieutenant of the Israeli Air Force, he was posthumously promoted to the rank of captain.<ref name="Boudreaux"/>

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.<ref name="JPost 2016">{{cite news |last1=Hendelman |first1=Ariel Dominique |title=Piano man |url=https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/culture/piano-man-452731 |access-date=June 20, 2023 |work=The Jerusalem Post |date=April 30, 2016}}</ref> Tal Ramon performed his debut album, ''Dmut'', at the club Zappa Tel Aviv in 2016.<ref name="JPost 2016" />

==Awards and honors== * Military decorations: ** Yom Kippur War campaign ribbon (1973) ** 1982 Lebanon War campaign ribbon (1982) ** F-16 1,000 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)<ref name="nasa_list">{{cite web | url=https://history.nasa.gov/spacemedal.htm | title=Congressional Space Medal of Honor | publisher=NASA | date=April 28, 2006 | access-date=December 5, 2009}}</ref> ** NASA Space Flight Medal

==Namesakes== [[Image:Keverramon.jpg|thumb|right|Ilan Ramon's grave in Nahalal]]

===In Israel===

* Ramon Airport, named in honor of Ilan and Assaf Ramon<ref>{{cite news|last=Ibrahim |first=Raymond |url=https://www.jpost.com/Headlines/Article.aspx?id=181807 |title=New Timna airport to be named after Ilan and Assaf Ramon |publisher=Jpost.com |date=July 18, 2010 |access-date=September 1, 2011}}</ref> * The international Ilan Ramon Conference,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.ramon-conference.com/|title=Ilan Ramon Conference|website=Ilan Ramon Conference 2020|language=he-IL|access-date=December 15, 2019|archive-date=December 15, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191215122853/http://www.ramon-conference.com/|url-status=dead}}</ref> 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 * Ilan Ramon Elememtary School, Hadera * Ramon Elementary School, Modi'in * Ramon High School, Hod Hasharon * Ilan Ramon Junior High, Kokhav Ya'ir<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ramon-kz.org.il/|title=Ilan Ramon Junior High, Kochav-Yair|access-date=October 23, 2011|archive-date=August 29, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110829003642/http://ramon-kz.org.il/|url-status=dead}}</ref> * Ilan Ramon Emergency Center, Kaplan Hospital, Rehovot * Ramon Park, Givat Shmuel * Ilan Ramon Park, space-themed playground, Beersheba * Ramon.Space, an aerospace electronics company Multi-national

=== In Canada === * Ilan Ramon Boulevard,<ref>{{cite web |author=Shoshana Poznansky |url=http://www.jewishtoronto.net/page.html?ArticleID=145300 |title=UJA Foundation: Lag B'omer festival |publisher=Jewishtoronto.net |date=May 7, 2007 |access-date=September 1, 2011 }}{{dead link|date=November 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://jewishtoronto.blogspot.com/2007/04/vaughan-street-festival-celebrates-lag.html |title=UJA Foundation |access-date=February 2, 2008 |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080515110111/http://jewishtoronto.blogspot.com/2007/04/vaughan-street-festival-celebrates-lag.html |archive-date=May 15, 2008 }}</ref> Vaughan, Ontario, Canada * Ilan Ramon Crescent, Côte-Saint-Luc (Montreal), Quebec, Canada

=== In the United States === * Ramon Hall, in the Columbia Village apartments, Florida Institute of Technology<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.floridatoday.com/columbia/columbiastory2N1029TECH.htm |title=Florida Tech dedicates dorms to Columbia 7 |access-date=September 1, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080118103500/http://www.floridatoday.com/columbia/columbiastory2N1029TECH.htm |archive-date=January 18, 2008 }}</ref> * 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<ref>{{cite web | title=Lunar crater Ramon | url=https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/14142?__fsk=603111301 | website = Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature | publisher = IAU | access-date=June 16, 2021}}</ref>

==See also== * Boris Volynov, first Jewish person in space * Space Shuttle ''Columbia'' disaster * ''Columbia: The Tragic Loss'', a documentary that focuses on Ilan Ramon

==References== {{reflist|2}}

==External links== {{commons category|Ilan Ramon}} * {{cite web|url=https://history.nasa.gov/columbia/Troxell/Columbia%20Web%20Site/Biographies/Crew%20Profile%20Information/Crew%20Biographies/PAYLOA%7E1.HTM|title=ILAN RAMON (COLONEL, ISRAEL AIR FORCE)|work=NASA|date=February 2003|access-date=May 7, 2019}} * [https://www.jewishbrevard.com/templates/articlecco_cdo/aid/632846/jewish/Ilan-Ramon-Columbia.htm Photo of Ilan Ramon with Chabad Rabbi Zvi Konikov] * [https://web.archive.org/web/20041106131854/http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/shuttle/archives/sts-107/memorial/ramon.html Ilan Ramon STS-107 Crew Memorial] * [https://www.chabad.org/search/keyword_cdo/kid/2650/jewish/Ramon-Ilan.htm A collection of articles about Ilan Ramon] * [https://www.science.co.il/Ilan-Ramon/ Ilan Ramon Memorial pages in the Israel Science and Technology Directory] * [http://www.spacefacts.de/bios/international/english/ramon_ilan.htm Spacefacts biography of Ilan Ramon] * [http://www.aish.com/jewishissues/israeldiary/Ilan_Ramons_Diary.asp Excerpts from Ilan Ramon's diary] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120217173424/http://www.aish.com/jewishissues/israeldiary/Ilan_Ramons_Diary.asp |date=February 17, 2012 }} * [http://ramonfoundation.org.il/ Ramon Foundation] *{{IMDb name|4120766}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ramon, Ilan}} Category:1954 births Category:2003 deaths Category:Space Shuttle Columbia disaster victims Category:Accidental deaths in Texas Category:American Ashkenazi Jews Category:Burials at Nahalal Cemetery Category:Israeli Air Force personnel Category:Israeli Ashkenazi Jews Category:Israeli astronauts Category:Israeli expatriates in the United States Category:Israeli military aviators Category:Israeli people of German-Jewish descent Category:Israeli people of Polish-Jewish descent Category:Israeli secular Jews Category:People from Ramat Gan Category:Recipients of the Congressional Space Medal of Honor Category:Space Shuttle program astronauts Category:Tel Aviv University alumni

Ilan Ramon

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