Astronaut Profile
Ilan Ramon
Payload Specialist
Ilan Ramon became Israel's first astronaut aboard Columbia's final flight, and was killed along with his six crewmates when the orbiter broke apart during reentry.
OrbitingTruths Archive
Payload Specialist • Deceased
Biography
The person behind the mission
Ilan Ramon was a colonel in the Israeli Air Force and an F-16 fighter pilot who became Israel's first astronaut, flying as a payload specialist on STS-107. He carried personal items honoring the Holocaust into space, including a small Torah scroll that had survived a Nazi concentration camp. On February 1, 2003, damage sustained during launch caused Columbia to break apart during reentry, killing Ramon and all six of his crewmates on what was his first and only spaceflight.
Astronaut Details
Born
June 20, 1954
Died
February 1, 2003
Birthplace
Tel Aviv, Israel
Role
Payload Specialist
Program
Space Shuttle
Time in Space
15 days, 22 hours, 20 minutes
Missions
STS-107
Recognition
Awards & Honors
- Congressional Space Medal of Honor
- NASA Distinguished Service Medal (posthumous)