Simplify the following text for a Grade 9 native English-speaking person.
Original: Colonel Ilan Ramon ( Hebrew : â , born Ilan Wolferman ; June 20 , 1954 - February 1 , 2003 ) was an Israeli pilot and the first Israeli astronaut and Israeli national hero .
Simplified: Ilan Ramon ( June 20 , 1954 - February 1 , 2003 ; , born Ilan Wolferman ) was a fighter pilot in the Israeli Air Force , and later the first Israeli astronaut .