Today in Technology History
An event that occurred on this date in the history of technology.
(Published weekdays. To receive "Today in Technology History" by e-mail, click here. To read past issues, click here.)
June 20
To honor and remember the astronauts who died aboard the shuttle Columbia in February, we have been writing about them on their birthdays. One of those astronauts, Ilan Ramon, would have turned 49 years old today.
Born in Tel Aviv, Israel on June 20, 1954, Ilan Ramon's mother and grandmother survived Auschwitz, a Nazi death camp during the Holocaust. His father and grandfather fought for Israel's independence in 1948. Ramon himself joined the Israeli air force and flew fighter jets in combat for Israel. He was one of Israel's first F-16 pilots, and in 1981, when he was just 26 years old, he was the youngest of the eight Israeli pilots who flew the dangerous secret mission to destroy Iraq's nuclear reactor. He also found time to earn a college degree in electronics and computer engineering.
In 1997, Ramon, by then a colonel, was chosen to become the first Israeli astronaut. He moved to America and spent more than four years training to be a payload specialist. The last spaceflight of Columbia was the first spaceflight for Ramon, and many in Israel who already looked to him as a military hero came to see his mission in space as a symbol of hope for a peaceful future.
Among the belongings that Ramon brought with him aboard the shuttle was a pencil drawing that showed the Earth as it might be seen from the Moon. The drawing was made by a boy who did not survive Auschwitz.
Ilan Ramon left behind a wife and four children.
Related links:
| Biotechnology | Convergence | Creativity | Culture | E-conomics | Education |
| Equity | Gov't & Politics | Innovation | National Security | Personal Security |
BE SURE TO VISIT THE NEW ATLANTIS: A JOURNAL OF TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY.
For errors, broken links, questions or comments,
contact webmaster@tecsoc.org.
