Product Description
In 1995, President Bill Clinton announced that a future NASA Space Shuttle flight would carry an Israeli astronaut. Seven years later, Col. Ilan Ramon, a decorated Israeli air force pilot, son of Holocaust survivors and father of four, joined six other crew members on Space Shuttle Columbia Flight STS-107. The flight ended in tragedy - within minutes of its scheduled landing, the shuttle disintegrated, killing all seven astronauts.

Ramon's story is the paradigmatic success story for Israelis and Jews worldwide. From the depths of the Holocaust to the heights of space, Ilan Ramon soared above us all and represented the desire for universal peace for the whole planet. Though the flight ended in tragedy, Ramon's life stands as a beacon to those who despair of triumph in a difficult world. This book, whose creation began before the shuttle lifted off into space, chronicles Ramon's journey from air force pilot to astronaut, and includes NASA photographs, an interview with Ilan Ramon, articles about Israel's space program and Holocaust memorabilia that Ramon carried with him into space, the famous Israeli poem read and the complete transcript of President George Bush's comments at the official memorial ceremony for the "Columbia" Seven.