Space Torah

Dr Jeff Hoffman became a NASA Astronaut in 1978 He participated in five space missions becoming the first astronaut to log 1000 hours of flights aboard the space shuttle Dr Hoffman has performed four spacewalks including the first unplanned contingency spacewalk in NASAs history and the initial repair rescue mission for the Hubble Space Telescope He was the first Jewish American male astronaut to fly into space Over five space missions he chose to bring numerous Jewish objects the highlight was a small and light Torah scroll that he took with him on his fifth and last mission Rabbi Shaul Osadchey Jeffs spiritual leader was instrumental in making it possible for Jeff to take a Torah scroll the Space Torah into space Jeff saw the act of bringing religious objects into space as part of bringing his own tradition with him but bringing the Torah into space had the added symbolic meaning and significance of bringing the holiness of human life into space