In honor of Israeli space week, and the thirteenth anniversary of the Columbia explosion which killed six astronauts including Israeli astronaut Ilan Ramon, Israel will be holding special ceremonies throughout the week of January 31st through February 4th.

A YouTube video highlighting an interview with Ramon is making its way around social media channels as well. Ramon's interview, which begins at the one minute and fifty six second mark of the video is one of the few interviews that he did from above Israel in the Columbia space shuttle before the fatal accident that destroyed the shuttle and its crew thirteen years ago on February first. 

In a special ceremony which will be attended by Minister of Science and Technology Ofir Akunis, US Ambassador Daniel Shapiro, and head of the Ramon Foundation Rona Ramon, pieces of the Columbia space shuttle which carried Ilan Ramon as well as five other astronauts before it exploded 13 years ago will be unveiled to the Israeli public. The pieces of the space shuttle are on loan from NASA and were provided at the request of Rona Ramon.   

The unveiling will take place on Tuesday, February 2nd as part of the Ilan Ramon International Space Conference, which is being sponsored by the Israel Space Agency, the Ministry of Science and Technology and the Fischer Institute.

The Conference will be taking place at the Air Force House in Herziliya and is set to begin at 8:45 in the morning.