The Israel Museum in Jerusalem is currently placing on display a collection of famous documents from Israel’s short but illustrious history. Included in the display is the 1948 Declaration of Independence, the 1994 peace treaty with Jordan, and the bloodstained sheet of paper with lyrics to a peace anthem that was carried by Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin at the time of his assassination in 1995.

For me, the most notable item in the display is a section from the diary that Israeli astronaut Ilan Ramon wrote in while he was aboard the space shuttle Columbia in 2003. Ramon, along with his six fellow crew members, perished when the shuttle exploded on February 1, 2003.

Two months after the explosion, NASA searchers found the pages from his diary in a wet field outside the town of Palestine, TX. The diary, miraculously, survived the extreme heat from the explosion, survived the extreme atmospheric cold and survived the earth bound microorganisms and insects that attacked the pages.

NASA returned the diary to Ilan Ramon’s wife, Rona, who in turn brought the diary to forensics experts at the Israel Museum and from the Israeli police. Working painstakingly for one year, the scientists were able to restore approximately 80% of the diary. Many of the pages are of a personal nature, and are not on display, however two pages will be placed on display: one page contains notes written by Ramon, and the other page contains a copy of the Kiddush. Ramon copied the prayer into his diary so that he could recite it on the space shuttle and have the blessing broadcast to earth.

Ilan Ramon was not a ritually inclined Jew, however he understood that as Israel’s first astronaut, his mission was about something greater than himself-he flew as a representative of Israel and of the Jewish people. He knew that his achievement would be celebrated by Jews around the world of all religious streams, and that by reciting this prayer on Friday night, while in space, the words would inspire all of Am Yisrael.

I find it remarkable that the diary survived at all-there is no rational explanation for its survival. Furthermore, it is incredible that this particular page, with the Kiddush, survived. Kiddush is about sanctification of time, a celebration of God’s role in creating the world and of God’s role in redeeming the Israelite slaves from Egyptian slavery. Ilan Ramon brought all of Israel, and yes, brought God’s holiness, into space with him on that ill-fated journey. He brought all of us into space with him.

Ilan Ramon died Al Kiddush HaShem, sanctifying God’s name. He served faithfully as a representative of Israel. He died a hero.

May his memory continue to inspire all of us to reach for the stars.