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September 13, 2009 (by Asif Shamim) - An F-16A from the IDFAF crashed in the Southern hills near Hebron on Sunday. The pilot who was killed was the son of the late Israeli astronaut Ilan Ramon, who died in the Space Shuttle Columbia accident in 2003. The pilot Lt. Assaf Ramon, 20, was on his 47th training flight since completing his pilot training in June 2009. The aircraft crashed during a routine flight as part of the advanced pilot training course. IAF commander Maj.-Gen. Ido Nehushtan and the head of the IDF Manpower Division Avi Zamir personally delivered the sad...

An F-16 from the IDFAF crashed in the Southern hills near Hebron. The pilot who was killed was the son of the late Israeli astronaut Ilan Ramon, who died in the Space Shuttle Columbia accident in 2003. he pilot Lt. Assaf Ramon, 20, was on his 47th training flight since completing his pilot training in June 2009. He was flying an unarmed training mission when the accident happened. IAF commander Maj.-Gen. Ido Nehushtan and the head of the IDF Manpower Division Avi Zamir personally delivered the sad news to his mother, Rona Ramon's at there home. The news of the...

Tragedy struck the family of late Israeli astronaut Ilan Ramon again Sunday, when his son Asaf Ramon was killed in a crash while flying an Israel Air Force aircraft. Ilan Ramon, Israel's first astronaut was one of seven crew members killed when the U.S. space shuttle Columbia disintegrated upon re-entry on February 1, 2003. Asaf Ramon's aircraft crashed near the settlement of Bnei Haver, in the rugged terrain of the Hebron Hills. The Israel Defense Forces carried out an aerial and terrestrial search of the area for some 90 minutes before locating the crash site. Advertisement IAF Blackhawk ("Yanshuf") helicopters...

Israelis are good at moving on; perhaps too good. Americans can't seem to The third anniversary of the Columbia Space Shuttle disaster passed last week (February 1 on the English calendar, January 29 on the Hebrew calendar) with little fanfare here. Acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert met with Rona Ramon, widow of fallen Israeli astronaut Col. Ilan Ramon, and several other Columbia shuttle family members here at Rona's invitation. Ynet (Hebrew) devoted a brief to it; Ynetnews didn't even get to it. A small group of American scientists came to the country to dedicate spots in the Ramon Crater (not...

The Space Shuttle Columbia Disaster happend on Saturday 1st, February, 2003 and was the second Space Shuttle Disaster and the first shuttle lost on landing. There was shock around the world over the tragedy. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Space Shuttle Columbia was launched on January 16th, 2003 at 9.39am CST. Columbia (Flight STS-107) was on a 16-day science research mission in Earth orbit which performed experiments in space. It was the 113th mission. Columbia was the oldest space shuttle in the fleet of four. It was the first space shuttle to be launched in Earth orbit in 1981. The crew of Space Shuttle...

The families of the six American astronauts killed in the Columbia shuttle disaster a year ago will visit Israel at the invitation of Rona Ramon, the wife of Israeli astronaut Ilan Ramon, reports ynet. The visit is supposed to take place in March and last for a week, said Evelyn Husband, the wife of the commander of the crew, Rick. "I am very close to Rona and love her with all my heart," Mrs. Husband said of the wife of Ilan Ramon, who was the first Israeli in space. "Despite our differences - she is Jewish and I am Christian...

<p>January 23, 2004 -- JERUSALEM — Disintegrating pages of a diary that an Israeli astronaut wrote during the doomed Columbia space shuttle mission were miraculously found in Texas, it was disclosed yesterday. Ilan Ramon, an Israeli air force combat pilot, recorded his thoughts about the mission, starting from takeoff, in the handwritten journal.</p>

Columbia disaster astronaut's diary found Pieces of an Israeli astronaut's diary, which plunged to earth with the stricken Columbia space shuttle, have been found in a field. The pages of Ilan Ramon's journal were found by a native American searching fields in Texas shortly after the crash in February last year. Initially, it was not known what the pieces of paper were. But when they were shown to Ramon's wife she confirmed it as his Hebrew handwriting. Many of the pages were bleached as they tumbled into the atmosphere at super-heated temperatures. But Israeli forensic scientists, helped by museum manuscript...

Oct. 15, 2003 Torah scroll dedication held in memory of Ilan Ramon By JPOST.COM STAFF Israel's first astronaut Ilan Ramon Photo: AP A Torah Scroll dedication ceremony took place in Yad Vashem Wednesday in honor Israel's first astronaut, Colonel Ilan Ramon. The Torah scroll will be kept in Yad Vashem. The Torah scroll was presented to Ramon's widow Rona by a New York donor, and will be carried by IDF soldiers and officers visiting concentration camps in Poland under the auspices of the annual "Witnesses in Uniform" program, the IDF Spokesperson reported. Astronauts Rick Husband, William McCool, Michael Anderson, Kalpana...

NASA informed the Ramon family early this morning that remains of astronaut Col. Ilan Ramon had been found and identified with certainty. IDF Rabbi Lt.-Col Tzvi Black, in Houston for the purpose of taking part in the identification process, confirmed the findings. Ilan Ramon will be buried in Israel next week in a military ceremony, after which his family will observe the traditional seven-day mourning period. The Israel Air Force that Ramon took along with him to space was also found in its entirety. U.S. President George Bush, who took part in the memorial ceremony for the seven astronauts yesterday,...

Translation by me from Hebrew to English: Tonia Volfermn, the mom of Ilan Ramon, of blessed memory, died this morning at the old age home in Omer. On Israel Military Radio it was said that Volfermn was sick in a very hard disease for some time, and did not know about her son's voyage to space or of his death.

WASHINGTON - A NASA safety engineer warned days before Columbia broke apart that he feared the shuttle was at risk for a devastating breach near its left wheel, and he suggested people in the U.S. space agency weren't adequately considering the threat. "We can't imagine why getting information is being treated like the plague," the engineer wrote in one of a number of e-mails released Friday that describe greater concerns about Columbia's safety in the days before its breakup. Other documents NASA released show that Columbia may have been struck by as many as three large chunks of foam that...

opinion Why That Texas Town is Named “Palestine” Dr. Rafael Medoff 19 February 2003 The fact that the space shuttle Columbia broke apart in the vicinity of a Texas town named “Palestine” has been the subject of much conversation in the Middle East. In Cairo, the New York Times reports, “the average cafe denizen” noted the presence of an Israeli astronaut on board, as well as the reports “that it apparently began crumbling over Palestine, Texas,” and concluded that Allah was punishing America for supporting Israel. In the Gulf kingdom known as the United Arab Emirates, a newspaper columnist expressed...

Feb. 19, 2003 ADL: Accounts on net blaming Israel, Jews for Columbia's downing proliferating By MELISSA RADLER NEW YORK - Conspiracy theories blaming Jews and Israel for the disintegration of NASA space shuttle Columbia last month are circulating the Internet at an alarming rate, the Anti-Defamation League said Wednesday. The online hate speech, tracked by the ADL on Web sites, chat rooms, bulletin boards and e-mails, includes allegations the US and Israel destroyed the Columbia to divert attention from the Iraq conflict, that Israeli astronaut Ilan Ramon was a spy, and that Jews and Israelis were complicit in the shuttle's...

February 12th, 2003 Col. Ilan Ramon Laid to Rest Col. Ilan Ramon, Israel's first astronaut, was buried yesterday in Nahalal Cemetery in northern Israel with full military honors. Family members, high-ranking IDF and Israel Air Force personnel and dozens of his friends accompanied Col. Ramon's coffin on its last journey. The ceremony was modest as per the family's request and Heads of State, members of the public and the media were asked to stay away. The IDF Chief of the General Staff, the Commander of the Israel Air Force and the former President of Israel, Eizer Weizman, were present at...

In space, John Lennon's song "Imagine" was one of the astronaut wake-up calls. Tuesday, it was the tune by which Israel's first astronaut, Col. Ilan Ramon, was finally laid to rest. Ramon, one of seven who died aboard the the shuttle Columbia when it broke apart on February 1, was memorialized on Monday after his coffin landed in Israel at a national ceremony broadcast around the world. He was laid to rest Tuesday at a private, low-key military ceremony at Moshav Nahalal's cemetery, where some of the giants in Israeli history, including war hero Moshe Dayan, are buried. The media...

The Israeli Air Force saluted their fallen fighter pilot and astronaut Col. Ilan Ramon today with a flyover of four F-16s above his burial site just as his funeral came to an end. As the planes flew in formation toward the Nahalal cemetery in northern Israel, one of them veered off to the right as it passed the burial ground. Moments beforehand three rounds of gunfire reverberated though the Galilee hills, signifying the end of the hourlong funeral. A policeman at a roadblock set up to keep the public away from the site, in keeping with the family's wishes, bowed...

February 11th, 2003 Tribute to Israel's Space Pioneer Col. Ilan Ramon's remains were identified by NASA on Febuary 5, 2003 and yesterday, Febuary 10, his flag draped coffin was flown home to Israel. A morose ceremony was held in Lod Air Force Base, with Ilan's family, Israeli politicians, Army leadership, NASA representatives and schoolchildren present. Eight of Col. Ramon's fellow air force colonels carried his coffin into the hanger, as Col. Ramon's son, Assaf, wearing his father's bright blue NASA flight jacket, wrapped his arms around his younger brother, whilst wiping tears from his eyes. Rona Ramon, Ilan's wife, held...

Israeli leaders eulogized the country's first astronaut Monday evening in a memorial ceremony that took place shortly after Ilan Ramon's remains were flown home from the United States in a coffin. "We could not have had a better and more fitting representative" than Ramon, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said at the ceremony, which took place at the Lod Air Force base. “His image, projected from above, was the reflection of Israel at its best – Israel as we would have liked to see it – the Israel we love.” The items that Ramon brought into the shuttle instilled pride in...

February 7th, 2003 Col. Ilan Ramon's Last Article Over the past three years Col. Ilan Ramon sent 19 articles to the Israeli Air Force's newspaper in which he described his experiences and training in preparation for his mission aboard the space shuttle Columbia. His articles were published under the heading: "From the Diary of an Astronaut". The following is a translation of Col. Ramon's last article, published in December 2002. "Hello everybody. This past week the space shuttle "Endeavor" blasted off into space, and now here we are again, 'Prime Crew', that is to say, we are the crew that...

Arab media reactions to the Colubia space shuttle disaster have been diverse. While several papers printed editorials expressing sorrow and condoloences, some columnists linked the incident to America's war on terrorism, the anticipated war on Iraq, and the Arab-Israeli conflict. A few mocked the tragedy, with particular emphasis on the death of Israeli astronaut Ilan Ramon.

Col. Ilan Ramon's military funeral will be held Tuesday at Moshav Nahalal at the request of the family. Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and other government representatives, as well as officials from the IDF, NASA, and the US government will attend the ceremony, which will be broadcast by local and international media. Ramon was one of seven astronauts killed when the shuttle Columbia broke up last Saturday as it reentered Earth's atmosphere. Eila Eilat, a spokeswoman for the Jezreel Valley Regional Council, said the family chose the moshav's military cemetery because it had lived in the area at one time and...

The Jewish National Fund, in an attempt to fulfill one of astronaut Ilan Ramon's last requests, has begun a global effort to plant trees throughout Israel, including on Air Force Bases. Ramon had made a call from space, more than once, for Jews all over the globe to plant trees in Israel. On one occasion he asked that "13 or 14 million new trees [be] planted in Israel [by] exactly one year from now, on the anniversary of the [Columbia] launching." In addition, JNF will also be establishing a memorial in Independence Park in Jerusalem in memory of the seven...

While some Arab media expressed sorrow over loss of the seven-member space shuttle Columbia crew last Saturday, many publications viewed the death of Israeli astronaut Col. Ilan Ramon as cause for celebration. "Ramon can go to hell" was the title of a column by Hamed Salamin in the United Arab Emirates daily Al-Bayan, who said the Israeli's death "is enough to arouse joy in every heart that beats Arabism and Islam."

It has taken me several days to understand what I want to say about Ilan Ramon. Beyond the traditional role of Western hero - the adventuring astronaut who embodies the Western world´s idea of courage, someone who dares to pioneer the limits of human understanding and human capability - there was something more. It is that "more" that has been so hard to define. But finally, I think I do understand. The Jewish people sent Ilan Ramon as its representative, to join hands with the world in exploring a new frontier for the betterment and enlightenment of mankind. Despite the...

Channel 2 television broadcast footage tonight of how Israel appeared from outer space, as the country's first astronaut, Ilan Ramon, and his six colleagues saw it on the 11th day of their orbit. In the minute-long segment of film, beamed by computer back to NASA, Astronaut David Brown described the view as he pointed the camera and zoomed in on Israel and the Sinai Peninsula. "This is the country where our famous astronaut Ilan Ramon comes from." Then Brown, said pointing the camera at a small patch of blue,"here you can see the Dead Sea." Then he focused on a...

Israel's military attach to the United States, Colonel Moshe Ivri-Sukenik, on Wednesday said Israeli astronaut Ilan Ramon, who was killed in the explosion of NASA space shuttle Columbia, will be laid to rest in Israel on Tuesday. Ramon is to be honored with a full military burial, Ivri-Sukenik said. Also Wednesday, the Israeli memorial center for the Nazi Holocaust opened an exhibit to show the original of a drawing copy Ramon carried into space. The drawing was made by a 14-year-old boy who was later killed in a Nazi camp. Ramon's remains will be flown to Israel next week. NASA...

A charred piece of an Israeli Air Force flag that Israeli Astronaut Ilan Ramon took with him into space has been found in the Texas countryside, according to reports today. NASA officials said they were aware that Ramon had taken IAF paraphernalia along with him on the voyage, particularly symbols such as the flag.

Remains of Israeli astronaut Ilan Ramon have been recovered in one of the debris fields in the southwestern US and a funeral is expected to be held in Israel next week, media reports said. An IDF attache in the US has informed the Ramon family of the find, which NASA has confirmed. The reports follow news that a charred piece of an Israeli Air Force flag, which Ramon took with him aboard the Columbia shuttle, has been found in Texas.

The body of the identified Israeli astronaut (radio) The body of the Israeli astronaut Ilan Ramon killed Saturday during the explosion of the Columbia shuttle was identified and it will be buried the next week in Israel, announced Wednesday morning the public radio israélienne.Le Israeli ministry of Defense received information coming from the United States on the "unquestionable" identification of the body of Ilan Ramon, added the radio without giving other details. NASA launched a vast operation of research in order to clear up the mystery of the disintegration of Columbia and to find the bodies of the seven...

This website was established for Ilan Ramon by a concerned Israeli. Wait for the shockwave presentation to load, and there is also music. Then you can also add your condolences on that site as well, in english or in hebrew. Please watch this, it is a very touching presentation which shows Ilan Ramon and also the rest of the crew. GO TO THIS SITE: http://www.ilanramon.co.il/IlanRamon/index.cfm Pass this on if you find this good.

February 3rd, 2003 Letters of Condolence Pour In from Around the World In an outpouring of support for the Ramon family thousands of poems, prayers and tributes have flooded in from individuals around the globe including e-mails from India, Argentina, Denmark, Australia, Iran, Germany, Ireland, France and from the Palestinian Authority. People of different religions, backgrounds, and political beliefs united to send their condolences following the death of Israel's first astronaut, Colonel Ilan Ramon. At present, over 10,000 e-mails addressed to Col. Ramon's family have been posted to the IDF website condolence book expressing the public's sorrow and pride and...

Send condolences in english or in hebrew to Ilan Ramon's Family, the Israeli Astronaut's family. This email address was created by the Israeli Defense Forces. All letters will be forwarded to the grieving family. The address: ilanfamily@mail.idf.il May the souls of Columbia be remembered.

Rona, the widow of Col. Ilan Ramon, is to meet with US President George W. Bush in Houston on Tuesday at a national ceremony honoring the Columbia astronauts. President Moshe Katsav interrupted his talks Monday with the National Union to speak to Ramon, who said the family is to return to Israel next week. According to Katsav's spokesman, she told Katsav she was coming home to arrange Col. Ilan Ramon's funeral. Katsav conveyed his and the country's condolences to Ramon, telling her that her husband had captured the hearts and minds of the Israeli people. It was a very emotional...

PIONEERS of the space race yesterday paid tribute to the crew of Columbia and called for their work to continue, as US President George W. Bush announced he would attend a NASA memorial service tomorrow in Houston, Texas, for the seven men and women who died. "It's a horrible thing to have happen, and our thoughts go out to the crew's family and friends," said former senator John Glenn, the first US astronaut to orbit the Earth in 1962. "It's important to remember we're not up there to just joyride around, we are up there to do things on Earth."...

Dear Friends, Two years ago, my daughter Kaitlyn and I were on a return flight to Israel from the USA. A layover in Amsterdam turned into a seven hour delay due to mechanical problems with the plane. Vouchers for the various airport restaurants were distributed to calm the weary and irritable passengers, but by that time, the only thing open was the "snack bar". Kaitlyn and I found ourselves sharing our tiny table with a rather inebriated, but congenial gentleman from Alaska. Before long, a slightly built Israeli pulled up a chair beside us. We quickly learned that the Israeli...

Feb. 3, 2003 IDF to promote Ilan Ramon to Brigadier-General By THE JERUSALEM POST INTERNET STAFFThe IDF reports that it is looking into the possibility of conferring on Ramon the rank of Brigadier – General. Minister of Defense, Shaul Mofaz, raised the possibility Monday with Chief of General Staff, Lieutenant-General Moshe Ayalon. Top placed sources in the IDF have confirmed that the army's manpower division has already started checking into the possibility. Ramon has not yet been termed a 'fallen soldier' by the IDF, since the army is still waiting for a positive identification of the bodies from NASA. Ramon...

The mind reels in disbelief as reports come in about the explosion of the Columbia space shuttle. We in Israel have become accustomed to announcements of terror attacks. We have even attuned ourselves to hearing the nuances of seriousness in the voice of the radio announcer as he or she introduces the hourly news so that we can steel ourselves against receiving the inevitable tragic information. Particularly on Saturday night, after spending an entire Shabbat disconnected from the outside world, the first moment of the post-Shabbat news is fraught with a special kind of tension. But nothing prepared us for...

Feb. 2, 2003 Arafat aide praises Ramon as 'courageous' By LAMIA LAHOUDThe Palestinian Authority praised Israeli astronaut Col. Ilan Ramon on Saturday as "a courageous man" and offered condolences to his family. The condolences were conveyed in a statement issued by Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat. In a separate interview with The Jerusalem Post, Bassam Abu-Sharif, an adviser to Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat, called the disaster "very sad." He went on to describe Ramon as "a courageous man who dedicated his life for the prosperity of mankind." "Anyone who dedicates his life for better life for human beings is dedicated...

Feb. 2, 2003 Putin calls Sharon, hails Ramon as 'person of hope' By THE JERUSALEM POST INTERNET STAFF Advertisement Russian President Vladimir Putin telephoned Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and expressed his "sincerest condolences" on the Columbia tragedy, a statement from Sharon's office said. Putin described Israel's lost astronaut, Col. Ilan Ramon as "an excellent man and a person of hope." He understood it is a "painful loss for the Israeli people." Sharon thanked the Russian leader, saying both their countries are "strong nations that were undergoing difficult times but would succeed in continuing to be strong." Both leaders "agreed to...

Feb. 1, 2003 Ramon to be remembered in Israeli schools Sunday morning By THE JERUSALEM POST INTERNET STAFFIsraeli schools are set spend the first hour of class Sunday, the first day of the Israeli school week, on a special program to commemorate the life and achievements of Israeli astronaut Col. Ilan Ramon, who died in the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster Saturday. Minister of Education Limor Livnat instructed schools Saturday night to devote the first hour of the day to discussing Ramon's life, his mission in space and his career as an Israeli Air Force pilot, Jerusalem Mayor Ehud Olmert told...

Shuttle has NOT been heard from or seen on tracking radar since 0800Hrs CDT. No contact at Merrit Island tracking station, no voice comm...DEVELOPING.

Israeli Astronaut, IAF Col. Ilan Ramon, who spent a few minutes on Tuesday talking to PM Ariel Sharon over satellite relay, will wake up tomorrow amd work for 12 intense hours in Columbia's science lab. During the day, Ramon will eat three good meals to keep him going. For breakfast, the Israeli Astronaut will have a meal of cornflakes, a Granola bar, orange juice, and Decaf coffee with Cream. For lunch, Ramon will eat kosher chicken and noodles, green beans with mushrooms, two crackers , strawberries, trail mix, a brownie, and two cups of Orange Juice. Ramon's dinner menu consists...