A Proposal For The Designation Of Lunar Craters
In Honor Of Space Shuttle Columbia (STS-107) Crew
» Download
Proposal Exhibit (Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader)
«
Page 8 | Page 9 | Page
10 »
 COLONEL
ILAN RAMON, I.A.F., 48, was the first Israeli citizen to
travel in space. He served as a fighter pilot in the Israel Air
Force and was chosen as Israel's first astronaut in 1997, moving
to Houston the next year to train for shuttle flight. Ramon's
mother and grandmother survived the Nazi death camp at Auschwitz.
His father and grandfather fought for Israel's statehood.
Born in Tel Aviv, Col. Ramon
graduated from high school there in 1972 and fought for Israel
during the Yom Kippur War (1973). The next year, he graduated as a
fighter pilot from the Israel Air Force (IAF) Flight School. From
1974-1976 he participated in A-4 Basic Training and Operations,
and spent 1976-1980 in Mirage III-C training and operations. In
1980, as a member of the IAF's establishment team of the first
F-16 Squadron in Israel, he attended the F-16 Training Course at
Hill AFB, Utah. From 1981-1983, he served as Deputy Squadron
Commander B, F-16 Squadron.
In January 1981, Col. Ramon piloted
an F-16 A/B fighter plane that destroyed Iraq's nuclear reactor.
Ramon was the youngest member of the fleet. In 1982, during
Operation Peace for Galilee (also known as the Lebanon War), he
served as commander of the logistical and tactical instruction
unit in the F-16 fleet and participated in eighteen flights.
In 1983, Col. Ramon enrolled in Tel
Aviv University, earning his Bachelor of Science degree in
Electronics and Computer Engineering in 1987. From 1988-1990, he
served as Deputy Squadron Commander A, F-4 Phantom Squadron.
During 1990, he attended the Squadron Commanders Course. From
1990-1992, he served as Squadron Commander, F-16 Squadron, and
from 1992-1994, he was head of the Aircraft Branch in the
Operations Requirement Department. In 1994, he was promoted to the
rank of Colonel and assigned as head of the Department of
Operational Requirement for Weapon Development and Acquisition,
remaining at this post until July 1998 when he departed for
astronaut training at Johnson Space Center.
Col. Ramon was selected as a Payload
Specialist in 1997, representing the Israel Space Agency. He was
designated to train as prime crew member for the Mediterranean
Israeli Dust Experiment (MEIDEX), a multispectral camera intended
to measure small dust particles (dust aerosols) in the atmosphere
over the Mediterranean and the Saharan coast of the Atlantic.
 Among the other research
responsibilities Col. Ramon handled aboard STS-107 were the
European Space Agency Advanced Respiratory Monitoring System;
Astroculture; Biological Research in Canister-Development of
Gravity Sensitive Plant Cells in Microgravity; Combustion Module,
including Laminar Soot Processes, Water Mist Fire Suppression and
Structures of Flame Balls at Low Lewis-Number experiments; the
Microbial Physiology Flight Experiments Team experiments, which
include the Effects of Microgravity on Microbial Physiology and
Spaceflight Effects on Fungal Growth, Metabolism and Sensitivity
to Anti-fungal Drugs; the Physiology and Biochemistry Team suite
of experiments, which includes Calcium Kinetics, Latent Virus
Shedding, Protein Turnover and Renal Stone Risk; and Space
Technology and Research Students Bootes.
He also carried a copy of a drawing
entitled "Moon Landscape" by 14-year-old Petr Ginz,
which depicts a view of the Earth from the Moon (shown above
right). The picture was
drawn by Ginz during his incarceration in the Theresienstadt
ghetto; he was murdered in the Auschwitz concentration camp in
1944 at age 16.
Col. Ramon is survived by his wife,
Rona, and their four children. He enjoyed snow skiing and squash
(handball) in his leisure time.
«
Page 8 | Page 9 | Page
10 »
[Message
of Condolence]
[Return to
Media:Luna™ Headlines]
|
|
Media:Luna™ is the official news
agency of The Lunar Republic.
Media:Luna™ and the agency's logo
are trademarks of Lunar Republic.
All rights reserved. |
|
