Shuttle widow tells of grief

The widow of Israel's first astronaut, who died in the Columbia space shuttle disaster, today spoke movingly of her enormous pride in her husband and said: "He is now part of the universe forever."

Displaying the same courage that made Israeli Air Force Colonel Ilan Ramon, 48, a national hero, Rona Ramon emerged from private grieving in Houston to give her country's ambassador to the United States a message of hope and understanding.

"She knew he died very happy. This was the height of his career," said ambassador Danny Ayalon. He echoed the widow's tribute, adding: "These brave astronauts died for all humankind."

Col Ramon's five-year-old daughter Noa was reported to have asked her mother: "How can you die in space? People are supposed to die only on Earth."

The massive search continues today for debris that may help piece together the catastrophic last moments of Columbia.