The Ramon Foundation, in cooperation with Beersheba municipality and Beit Yatziv, held a flagship space-themed event at Karsso Park in Beersheba on Tuesday as part of Israel’s Space Week.
The event hosted 380 middle and high school students participating in numerous educational programs run by the Ramon Foundation.
The foundation was created in 2010 in memory of former IDF fighter pilot and Israel's first astronaut, Ilan Ramon, who died during the 2003 Space Shuttle Columbia disaster. It was established by his widow, Rona, to honor the memory of Ilan, as well as their son, Assaf, who died during a fighter jet training mission in September 2009.
The organization uses the fields of space and aviation to inspire children from all sectors of Israeli society.
The programs, titled SpaceUp, SpaceLab, and SpaceINT, teach students from southern cities such as Ashdod, Ofakim, Beersheba, Or Etzion, Even Shmuel, and Sderot.
Senior representatives of the Ramon Foundation attended the event, including Yiftach Ramon, Chairman of the Foundation’s Board, Gil Doron, CEO of the Ramon Foundation, and Dr. Hefzi Zohar, the deputy mayor and acting mayor of Beersheba.
Astronauts inspiring students
Additionally, NASA astronaut Garret Reisman, a close friend of Ramon, delivered an interactive lecture.
Ramon sought to use the influence of STS-107, the Space Shuttle Columbia mission, to advance space education within the Israeli school system and leverage the country’s space industry.
Two classes were awarded prizes at the event: a class from Ofakim from the Darca Amirim School participating in the SpaceLab program, and a class from the SpaceINT program from David Tuviyahu Comprehensive School in Beersheba.