Posted February 2 2008
Ilan Ramon and the Space Shuttle Columbia - Five Years Later
The Space Shuttle Columbia disaster occurred on February 1, 2003, when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated over Texas during re-entry into the Earth’s atmosphere, with the loss of all seven crew, shortly before it was scheduled to conclude its 28th mission, STS-107. (from wikipedia)
Among the astronauts on board was Israel’s first, Ilan Ramon. Colonel Ilan Ramon was a decorated Air Force hero in Israel and carried with him the hopes and dreams of a grateful nation. Ramon had been part of Israel’s famous first-strike attack against Iran’s nuclear facility in 1981, a maneuver that had been applauded for pushing Iran’s deadly intentioned facility two decades back. Among things carried on board with Ramon was a tiny sefer torah that had been hidden during the Holocaust, a mezuzah and children’s drawings. Ilan tired to observe Shabbat in space (every ninety minutes) and was a real Kiddush Hashem.
Upon the untimely loss of the shuttle and its crew, mourners from around the world came together for a brief moment. I was still in school, attending Yeshiva University at the time. I remember the student leaders rushing that afternoon to prepare for a memorial service. I was asked to make the moving video that can be watched above.
February 2, 2003 - Over 1,500 people gathered from across New York (the largest ceremony in the area that day) to mourn those brave souls and pay tribute to their memories.
Five years later we must still remember them and carry on their mission of scientific exploration and discovery and, as Ilan did, continue to be a light unto the nations.
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3 Comments currently posted. 
Rachel Krich says:
Benji Rosenzweig says:
If he was keeping Shabbat every 90 minuets, can you imagine his tefilin schedule?
Jewneric » Leader of Entebbe Airport Rescue, Dead at 70 says:
[...] has seen a lot of ups and downs in Israel and the broader pro-Israel community. We’ve marked the 5th anniversary of the death of Israel’s first astronaut; we’ve seen - possibly - the seeds sown for a very hush-hush 2nd “Disengagement” [...]
It is funny you mention this, it was brought up in Shul, and then again at Lunch today. The Rabbi was talking about using every moment to its fullest, and his main example was how Ilan Ramon use the time he was being filmed while on the space shuttle to show the Safer Torah he brought, and to talk about making kiddish ect. He was a non practicing Jew, but even when he went into space he knew where he came from and was proud of it.