Col. Ilan Ramon's remains have been positively identified, and the Jerusalem Post reports that a Jewish funeral will be held for him on Tuesday with full military honours. Also recovered from the Columbia wreckage was the charred remains of an Israeli Air Force flag.

Meanwhile, international Holocaust memorial Yad Vashem is preparing a special exhibition in Ramon's honour. It will include the original "Moon Landscape" picture, drawn by Czech Jew Peter Ginz before the boy perished in Auschwitz. A copy was carried into space with Col. Ramon.

The Jewish National Fund (JNF) is likewise involved in memorial planning, attempting to honour one of Ilan's last requests from space through a campaign to plant 13 million more trees in Israel. In addition, a memorial to the Columbia crew will be placed in Jerusalem's Independence Park.

To my mind, however, none of the tributes paid to Ilan Ramon are more meaningful than this one, penned by an American who had the opportunity to meet him once under circumstances we'd all recognize.

Others have likewise taken pen to paper. In an outpouring of support for the Ramon family thousands of poems, prayers and tributes have flooded in from individuals around the globe including e-mails from India, Argentina, Denmark, Australia, Iran, Germany, Ireland, and even from France and people living under the Palestinian Authority.

Go ahead and read some, and also this excellent piece by Naomi Ragen. You can even send condolences yourself.

UPDATE: Beliefnet has a piece called "Seven Heroes, Seven Faiths," which covers each of the astronauts and publishes some of the remembrances and memories from their houses of worship.