TITUSVILLE, Fla. — The crews from the Challenger, Columbia and Apollo 1 missions were honored on Sunday at Sandstone Park in Titusville for the path they’ve laid for space exploration. The ceremony for the 17 people was hosted by the city of Titusville Flag and Memorial Committee along with the American Space Museum.

“They are part of the history and humanity of what we are doing as humans in space,” explained former NASA Astronaut Nicole Stott. “Their lives represent a lesson for us for sure, I think the memory of them lifts us up in the exploration that we are going to continue to do going forward.”

Wednesday February 1st, 2023 marks 20 years since the Columbia mission disaster and one of the astronauts on board was Colonel Ilan Ramon. He was born in Israel and was part of the Israeli Air Force, but many see him as a pioneer.

“When Colonel Ramon joined the space program, he basically showed that every kid can be whatever he wants in life it doesn’t matter what country you come from,” added Joseph Zevuloni an Israeli-American citizen who lives in South Florida and attended Sunday’s ceremony. “Israel is a little dot on the map and a representative from the little dot on the map actually made it to space. He is the first Israeli that went up there and he is a pride.”

Members of the Israeli Consulate from Miami were in attendance to help honor the Israeli Air Force member. Zevuloni said Colonel Ramon partaking in this mission represents an inspirational bond between America and Israel.

“America, this is exactly what America represents," explained Zevuloni. “It doesn’t matter where you come from, it doesn’t matter what religion you are and it doesn’t matter your background you can be anything you want.”