Son of Israeli Astronaut Killed in Plane Crash
Written by Nancy Atkinson
The crew of STS-107, which included Ilan Ramon from Israel. Credit: NASA
Sad news to report: The son of Israeli astronaut Ilan Ramon was killed Sunday when his F-16 warplane crashed on a routine training flight, the Israeli military said. Lt. Asaf Ramon was the son of Ilan Ramon, Israel's first and only astronaut, who was one of the seven crew members killed when the Columbia broke apart as it re-entered the atmosphere in 2003, as the crew was returning home after the STS-107 mission.
Lt. Ramon, 21, was the eldest of Ilan Ramon's four children, and was just 15 when his father died. According to Avi Blozovsky, editor of Hayadan, the only dedicated science news site in Hebrew, after the death of his father, the young Ramon said he hoped to be an astronaut and continue the legacy of his father.
Assaf Ramon being awarded a medal. Image courtesy Avi Blozovsky, editor of Hayadan, the only dedicated science news site in Hebrew.
The younger Ramon excelled in his pilot training and in June received a presidential honor.
Ramon's fighter jet crashed south of the West Bank city of Hebron. An eyewitness said the plane flew over the southern West Bank at low altitude before crashing, and that there was a huge fire.
The Israeli air force has called an official inquiry and halted training in Israel's F-16 squadrons until further notice.
Source: AP/Yahoo News, Hayadan,
Filed under: Space Shuttle
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September 13th, 2009 at 1:49 pm
Oh Dear Lordie…..
Deep condolences to Mommy and Family.
September 13th, 2009 at 3:50 pm
I cant imagine the pain that family is going through with two tragic events so close together.
My prayers go out to them.
September 13th, 2009 at 5:07 pm
That's terrible. I wish the best for the family.
September 13th, 2009 at 11:50 pm
As someone with a keen interest in the Columbia disaster, my heartfelt condolences go to the family who have lost another member to tragedy. May he rest in peace.
September 14th, 2009 at 12:48 am
Poor family. It must be terrible to have to endure the unexpected loss of your closest loved ones twice in such a short period of time…
September 14th, 2009 at 3:20 am
Thank you for posting the information worldwide. The story touched the entire country and today, our entire state of Israel is mourning over Captain Asaf Ramon.
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