Lt. Col. Ilan Ramon served as a cargo specialist in the crew of the Columbia shuttle. He was 48 years old when he died. He left behind a wife and four children
By: Tamara Traubman, Haaretz. Courtesy of Wala!
The Ramon family - from the right: Rona, Ilan's brother Gadi holding his children Mika and Zohar, Assaf (Ilan's son), Ilan, Yiftah and Tal (Ilan's sons)
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* 48 years old, married and father of 4 children, colonel in the Air Force
* A cargo expert served on the ferry and experiments will be conducted
* Elected to the position in ;'98 underwent training for 4.5 years
* Commanded the F-16 squadron and held positions in the HA
* Participated in the bombing of the Iraqi reactor and the Lebanon war
* He was among the first pilots to fly the H-16
* Completed the pilot's course in ;'74, flew Mirage and Skyhawk.
Lt. Col. Ilan Ramon served as a cargo specialist in the crew of the Columbia shuttle. He was 48 years old when he died. He left behind a wife and four children. About four and a half years ago, the Air Force chose Ramon to be the first Israeli in space. In his position on the ferry, Ramon participated in the operation of the Israeli dust experiment, which was designed at Tel Aviv University to investigate how dust storms affect the Middle East, as well as other experiments in the fields of biology and physics.
Ramon was born on June 20, 1954 in Ramat Chen. While he was in elementary school, the family moved to Beer Sheva, the family's neighbors said yesterday. In 1998, Ramon and his family - his wife, Rona, and their children, Asaf (14), Tal (12), Yiftach (9) and Noa (5) - moved their residence to the training facility for astronauts in the USA.
Before Ramon's extended training period began, he served as a fighter pilot in the Air Force. He finished the pilot's course in 1974. In the following years, Ramon flew Mirage and Skyhawk planes. In 1980 he was among the first pilots to go to the USA to learn to fly the H-16 and received the aircraft in the Air Force.
According to the Air Force website, Ramon has rich combat experience: in 1973 he participated in the Yom Kippur War, in 1981 he participated in the bombing of the reactor that began to be built in Iraq, and a year later he participated in the Lebanon War. According to the army website, Ramon has accumulated more than 3,000 flight hours on Skyhawk, Mirage and Phantom aircraft, and more than 1,000 flight hours on F-16.
In 1983, Ramon decided to take a break from his combat duties, was released from the IDF, and went to study at Tel Aviv University. Four years later he graduated there with a bachelor's degree in electronics and computer engineering. Prof. Hagit Maser-Yeron, the chief scientist of the Ministry of Science - who knew Ramon since his high school days and was his lecturer at the university - defined Ramon as a "good student".
A year after receiving the degree, Ramon returned to the Air Force and was appointed deputy commander of the Phantom Squadron. He continued to advance rapidly in the force: first he was appointed deputy commander of the Phantom squadron, then he commanded the F-16 squadron, he was appointed head of the aircraft branch at the air force headquarters and in 1994 he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel. His last position in the Air Force was head of the munitions department.
Ramon was chosen to be the first Israeli astronaut by the Air Force, following an agreement signed between Israel and the US in 1995 for an Israeli phase in NASA's space flight. The Israel Space Agency asked the Air Force to choose the participant for it, and in 1998 the Air Force chose Ramon. Ramon's training for the flight was supposed to last about a year, but NASA postponed the Columbia launch many times.
Shortly after being chosen to be the first Israeli in space, Ramon told "Yediot Ahronoth" that as a child he dreamed of being a basketball player. However, his height - 1.70 meters - did not allow this. Ramon noted that the size of the cabin in the ferry is not more than two square meters, and added: "This time the height will pay off for me." Ramon mentioned skiing and squash among his hobbies.
In an interview, Ramon told how he found out about being chosen to be the first Israeli in space: "One clear evening someone from the Air Force Officers Department, which is personnel, called me. I was busy at work and trying to finish the day, to finally get home. (He) said to me 'Do you want to be an astronaut?' I told him stop messing with my brain. I have no time for jokes. He told me: 'The commander of the Air Force asked us to locate an astronaut.' I asked for time to consult with my wife. I replied in the morning. In the future, a normal staffing process will be carried out in the Air Force like any other position, and I was selected for this process."
In one of the last interviews he gave to the press from the Space Center in Houston, Texas, Ramon said that he is not afraid of the possibility of a malfunction in the shuttle. "The chance of an accident in space is very small," he told "Maariv" in June last year, "30 years ago I just enlisted, and I've been flying ever since. I was involved in accidents, two of which were serious, I had to abandon planes, but thank God I got out safely. Accidents and fear - that's already behind me."
Ramon also said that "the issue of safety at NASA is above everything else. The shuttle is built from systems of backup on backup on backup on backup. The chance of an accident is very small, and despite this, many times the launches are postponed. Therefore, in terms of safety, I am very quiet... I apologize, I am not afraid."
Last week, Ramon had a conversation from space with the Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon, and with the Minister of Education and Science, Limor Livnat. He told them about the experience of floating in space and described what Israel looks like from a height of hundreds of kilometers above the ground. "The Land of Israel looks the same from here as it does on the map: small but charming. We have a wonderful people, and it is very important to preserve the heritage", said Ramon.
An entourage of about 300 people from Israel arrived at Ramon's launch. His family and officials also came last night to watch the landing. Ramon expected, upon his return, to complete the task for about a month together with his team members, and then return to Israel.
Air Force Commander: In the future we will send more astronauts into space
By Amos Harel, Haaretz courtesy of Walla
Ramon Halutz, a day before the crash: "It is a great honor to represent you here in space"
Lt. Col. Ilan Ramon on the space shuttle Columbia, last week. The Commander of the Air Force, Major General Dan Halutz said yesterday at a press conference "In my vision I see another Israeli astronaut - and this time even more so"
The Commander of the Air Force, Major General Dan Halutz, estimated yesterday that Israel will send more astronauts into space in the future, despite the crash of the shuttle "Columbia" and the death of the first Israeli astronaut, Air Force pilot Major General Ilan Ramon.
Air Force Commander Halutz held a short press conference last night at his office in Tel Aviv, where he gave the Air Force's announcement following the crash of the space shuttle.
Halutz said that "the State of Israel, the IDF and the Air Force salute today Ilan Ramon and his comrades, who did not return from their mission." We take to heart Ilan's wife, Rona, and their children. Hence, we also participate in the grief of the US citizens, NASA personnel and the astronauts' family."
The air force commander added that "Ilan did not return from the mission to which he was sent by the State of Israel." Halutz promised that Israel would continue to be "at the forefront of technology" and said that he believed that Ramon would have wanted the same.
Israel sent to the USA together with Ramon Lt. Col. Yitzhak Mayo, an Air Force navigator, who went through part of the training course for astronauts. If it is decided in the future to launch another Israeli astronaut, Mayo may be the candidate for the mission.
The air force commander quoted from an email that Ramon sent him about 24 hours before the crash. Ramon wrote to him that "It is a great privilege for me to be in the Air Force family for more than 30 years and it is a great honor to represent you here in space. I am opening a new vision and a new way. Air and space are part of one continuum." Halutz ended his message by saying that the corps "salutes Ilan Ramon and hugs his family."
The corps commander said, in response to a question: "In my vision I see another Israeli astronaut - and this time even more so." It is too early to discuss the near future now, but in the distant future we will work to be partners in any space program. Space is a field where those who are not in it will retreat. Therefore, I see it as an obligation, a kind of imperative - to continue to engage in the field and bring it to completion."
Halutz said that he spoke yesterday with the American Secretary of Air Force and the Commander of the US Air Force, but said that he did not learn anything from them about the circumstances of the accident. "In my opinion, the details are not yet in their hands. It is too early to present conclusions or hypotheses. I am sure that the Americans will investigate the matter to the end and continue the space program as requested. This is an excellent program. The investigation (of the accident) will be American. I am confident that they will investigate the matter (in depth), according to the best American tradition."
