Ninth grade physics students at Hebrew University Secondary School (Leyada) in Jerusalem spoke with Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield as he orbited the Earth aboard the International Space Station (ISS) on Sunday, February 3. The Israeli high school students were the recent winners of the Ilan Ramon Space Olympics hosted each year by the Ilan Ramon Foundation, established in honor of Israel's first astronaut, Ilan Ramon. Ramon perished in the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster with six other American crew members, …More

Ilan Ramon, known affectionately as “Israel’s first astronaut,” was killed ten years ago this week, when the Columbia space shuttle exploded upon re-entering Earth’s atmosphere after more than two weeks in orbit. Ramon was born in Ramat Gan near Tel Aviv, though he grew up in Beersheba. His father fled Nazi Germany in the 1930’s, and his mother and grandmother were both Polish Holocaust survivors. In 1974, Ramon graduated as a fighter pilot from the Israeli Air Force. He …More

Maxine Dovere, JNS.org Dan Cohen describes Ilan Ramon, the first and only Israeli astronaut, as “a man used to rising to the occasion.” On Jan. 31 at 9 p.m., "Space Shuttle Columbia: Mission of Hope"—a documentary directed by Cohen—will air on the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) to coincide with the 10th anniversary of Ramon’s death. Israel sent one of its best on NASA’s fatal Columbia mission: Israel Air Force (IAF) Colonel Ramon was 46, an engineer (electronics and …More

“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.” – Excerpt from Ramon’s on-board diary. Ilan Ramon aboard Space Shuttle Columbia (Credit: NASA) Col. Ilan Ramon was a decorated and highly honored Israel Air Force Colonel and fighter pilot boasting thousands of hours of flight experience. Graduating from Flight School in 1974, he continued to excel in numerous missions including the famous 1981 Operation Opera, …More