Journey of Hope: The Story of Ilan Ramon, Israel's First Astonaut Book

"Columbia is lost; there are no survivors" -President George W. Bush, February 1, 2003. In 1995, President Bill Clinton announced that a future NASA space shuttle flight would carry an Israeli astronaut. In January 2003, that promise was fulfilled when Colonel Ilan Ramon, a decorated and heroic Israeli Air Force pilot, was part of the crew of space shuttle Columbia, flight STS-107. Two weeks after it was launched, within minutes of its scheduled landing, the ship disintegrated, killing all seven astronauts aboard. This book chronicles the selection, training, flight, and death of Ilan Ramon, Israel?s first astronaut, over a seven-year period. Ramon was the child of a Holocaust survivor and of parents who came to Israel to build new lives. He personified the best of Israel: a family man, a committed Israeli, a proud Jew, a war hero, and, as well, a quiet, modest person. Journey of Hope captures the drama, humor, and humanity of the life and death of Colonel Ilan Ramon. Journey of Hope includes NASA photographs, images of Holocaust artifacts that Ramon carried with him into space, the famous Hebrew poem read at his funeral, and the complete transcript of President George Bush?s comments at the official memorial ceremony for the Columbia Seven.Read More