Ilan Ramon
“Israel, despite being a small country, stands at the global forefront of the space field,” President Isaac Herzog said.
After the late astronaut’s diary undergoes preservation processes, it will be considered for public presentation.
The Israeli president attended the 18th Ilan Ramon International Space Conference, being held as part of Israel Space Week 2023.
The Israeli Defense Ministry has released a trove of previously classified documents relating to the 1981 operation as part of a digitization project by the IDF Archive.
The wife of the late Israeli astronaut Ilan Ramon, who perished in the “Columbia” space shuttle explosion in 2003, died in December after a long battle with cancer.
The flights were to Poznan, Poland, and round-trip from Prague.
Constructed at a cost of some $500 million, it has an annual capacity of 2.5 million passengers. It is able to handle 20 takeoffs and landings an hour and accommodate large aircraft, such as Boeing 747s.
“Rona Ramon has gone from us as she lived among us—noble, clear and full of belief. Ilan and Asaf touched the skies, and Rona touched our hearts,” said Israeli President Reuven Rivlin.
An 85-foot steel wall, cameras and radar equipment affixed to poles at 210 feet, in addition to a 21-mile outer fence, will protect the new Ramon International Airport near Eilat from potential terrorist attacks.
From Leonard Nimoy to ancient rabbis: “Jews in space” exhibit details a like-minded preoccupation with astronomy and science fiction.