Ilan Ramon

Ilan Ramon
אילן רמון
Ramon in 2001
Born
Ilan Wolfferman

(1954-06-20)June 20, 1954
Ramat Gan, Israel
DiedFebruary 1, 2003(2003-02-01) (aged 48)
over Texas and Louisiana, U.S.
Cause of deathSpace Shuttle Columbia disaster
Alma materTel Aviv University (BSc)
Awards
Space career
ISA astronaut
Previous occupation
Fighter pilot
RankColonel, Israeli Air Force
Time in space
15d 22h 20m
Selection1996 NASA Group
MissionsSTS-107
Mission insignia

Ilan Ramon (Hebrew: אילן רמון; pronounced [(ʔ)iˈlan ʁaˈmon], born Ilan Wolfferman (אילן וולפרמן); June 20, 1954 – February 1, 2003)[1] 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.[2]

  1. ^ Stone, Tanya Lee (October 1, 2003). Ilan Ramon: Israel's First Astronaut. Kar-Ben Publishing. p. 10. ISBN 978-0-7613-2888-9. Retrieved May 26, 2011.
  2. ^ "On This Day: Israel's Ilan Ramon dies in Columbia space shuttle disaster". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. Retrieved January 21, 2023.