| Aircraft
Accidents Theodore Freeman Charles Bassett II Elliot See Clifton Williams, Jr. Robert Lawrence Michael Adams Yuri Gagarin John McKay Stephen Thorne Stanley David Griggs Manley Carter, Jr. Patricia Hilliard Robertson
Apollo 1
Soyuz 11
Challenger STS-51L
Columbia
STS-107 Other |
Born: 20 June 1954 in Tel Aviv, Israel. Education:Graduated from High School in 1972; bachelor of science degree in electronics and computer engineering from the University of Tel Aviv, Israel, in 1987. Marital Status: Married, Rona. Children: Assaf, Tal, Yiftah, and Noa. Other Activities: He enjoyed snow skiing and squash. Special Honors: Yom Kippur War (1973); Operation Peace for Galilee (1982); F-16 1,000 Flight Hours (1992). Awards: Ramon and his six crewmates were awarded the Congressional Space Medal of Honor on 3 February 2004. Experience: In 1974 Ramon, the son and grandson of Holocaust survivors, 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. 1976-1980 was spent in Mirage III-C training and operations. In 1980, as one of the IAF's establishment team of the first F-16 Squadron in Israel, he attended the F-16 Training Course at Hill Air Force Base, Utah. From 1981-1983, he served as the Deputy Squadron Commander B, F-16 Squadron. In 1981, he led a mission of eight jet fighters to destroy a nuclear reactor in Osirak, Iraq. From 1983-1987, he attended the University of Tel Aviv. 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. 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. He stayed at this post until 1998. Colonel Ramon has accumulated over 3,000 flight hours on the A-4, Mirage III-C, and F-4, and over 1,000 flight hours on the F-16. NASA Experience: He served as the payload specialist on his first and only mission on Columbia STS-107, which launched on 16 January 2003. Laurel and his six crewmates lost their lives when Columbia was destroyed on re-entry on 1 February 2003. He was buried at the military cemetary of Ramat David Air Base in Nahalal, Israel on 11 February 2003. Quotes: "When I was selected to be an astronaut, I jumped almost to space. I was very excited." About flying over Israel: "The quiet that envelops space makes the beauty even more powerful, and I only hope that the quiet can one day spread to my country." |
