Ilan Ramon – The first Israeli astronaut.

Many remember Ilan Ramon for his tragic death on board space shuttle Columbia in 2003.

But even prior to his death, Ilan Ramon had established himself as a hero for Israelis and Jews around the world.

Ramon was the first Israeli astronaut to go on a mission to space, a huge accomplishment for the country’s relatively young space program.

Ramon was born Ilan Wolfermann on June 20, 1954 in Ramat Gan, Israel. Ramon grew up in a secular Jewish family.

His mother was a Holocaust survivor, a story was became highlighted in the media when Ramon took his space flight.

Ramon joined the Israeli Air Force in 1974.

In 1981, flying an F-16 plane, Ramon participated in Operation Opera, a surprise Israeli air strike against the Iraqi Osirak nuclear reactor. From1983-1987, he attended Tel Aviv University, receiving a degree in electronics and computer engineering. After completing his education, he returned to the Air Force, reaching the rank of colonel in 1994.

The Israeli Space Agency started developing relations with other countries’ space programs. In 1998, the Israeli and American governments cosponsored a project out of Tel Aviv University, “The Mediterranean Israeli Dust Experiment.” The goal was to research desert dust’s effect on global warming. Scheduled for a 2003 space expedition to carry out related experiments, Ilan Ramon came to the United States to begin his training as an astronaut, the first Israeli to do so.

He trained until 2003 then he flew aboard in STS-107 – which was the 113th flight of the Space Shuttle program, and the 28th flight of Space Shuttle Columbia. He spent 15 days, 22 hours and 20 minutes in space.

On February 1, 2003, after 16 days in orbit, the crew from Columbia was returning to Earth, when the shuttle exploded during re-entry over Texas, killing all eight members of the crew, including Ramon.

Ramon was posthumously awarded the Congressional Space Medal of Honor. He is the only non-U.S. citizen recipient ever to receive that honor.