ilan ramon

npr today said that the shuttle crash is especially sad for the nation of israel. with nothing but war news for the last two years, israel had gravitated to ilan ramon becoming the first israeli in space. every child in an israeli school knows all about ramon -- the teachers have been doing lesson plans about him for weeks. here are a few links if you want to read more about him (found on google):

Profile: Israeli Astronaut Ilan Ramon Brings Pride To Israelis And Relief From Focusing On Ongoing Violence And Upcoming Election
NASA biographical data.
Crew Interview.