President Reuven Rivlin and his wife, Nechama, hosted the families of the Columbia shuttle who arrived in Israel at the invitation of Rona Ramon, widow of Israeli astronaut Ilan Ramon, who was not able to attend the emotional encounter before she passed away.
Rivlin told his guests, ”This house is your home, and I hope that every time you visit, you will feel like you have come home. Every Israeli knows where they were 16 years ago when they heard the terrible news. The stories of the brave astronauts on the Space Shuttle have become part of the story of the State of Israel.”