Posted on 02/04/2003 9:49:03 PM PST by HAL9000
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 killed astronauts whereas they returned on Earth.
Remains of Israeli astronaut found amid shuttle's wreckage
JERUSALEM (AP) - The remains of Israeli astronaut Ilan Ramon have been found among the wreckage of the space shuttle Columbia and will be brought to Israel for burial, the Israeli army said Wednesday.
NASA officials informed representatives of the Israeli army that the body of Ramon had been identified, the army said in a statement. The remains will be brought to Israel for a funeral in the coming days.
"This is a relief to all of us, especially the family," said Brig. Gen. Rani Falk, an Israeli air force attache in Washington. "NASA informed us officially that Ilan Ramon, may his name be blessed, was identified, and we can bring him for burial in Israel in the coming days."
Ramon's body was one of four sets of remains that have been positively identified, Israel Radio reported. The DNA and jaw bone of Ramon's body were checked to ensure that they were indeed his, the radio said.
Israel had sent four ultra-Orthodox specialists to aide NASA in searching for the remains of the astronauts, which were scattered near the Texas-Louisiana state line. According to Jewish law, all parts of a Jewish person must be buried. If the body is not found, a funeral is not possible.
On Sunday, NASA officials said there were at least three reports of body parts found in rural areas. Remains reportedly discovered in Texas include a skull, a torso, a thigh bone and a leg.
Amen.
I wonder how this works in a situation like this -- it mus tbe heartbreaking to know that the odds of recovering a full body are nearly nonexistent. To what extent are Jews required to comb the countryside in search of every possible piece of wreckage?
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