Ilan Ramon After 113 shuttle missions, STS-107 was not seen by many Americans as anything special. In Israel, it was riveting front-page news -- because its crew included that country's first astronaut. Former fighter pilot Ilan Ramon was showered with the kind of attention that surrounded John Glenn prior to his legendary mission. The son of a Holocaust survivor, Ramon carried with him several artifacts -- among them, a small Torah smuggled out of Bergen-Belsen and a drawing of the moon from a boy who perished at Auschwitz.

All Things Considered

Ilan Ramon

February 1, 200312:00 AM ET

Heard on All Things Considered

After 113 shuttle missions, STS-107 was not seen by many Americans as anything special. In Israel, it was riveting front-page news — because its crew included that country's first astronaut. Former fighter pilot Ilan Ramon was showered with the kind of attention that surrounded John Glenn prior to his legendary mission. The son of a Holocaust survivor, Ramon carried with him several artifacts — among them, a small Torah smuggled out of Bergen-Belsen and a drawing of the moon from a boy who perished at Auschwitz.