Yad Vashem posted this video of US Astronaut Andrew “Drew” Feustel commemorating Israel’s Holocaust Martyrs’ and Heroes’ Remembrance Day with this message sent from the International Space Station.
As NASA reports:
Feustel said, “Ilan Ramon and I worked together for a short period of time prior to 2003. I was touched when I discovered that Ilan planned to take Petr Ginz’s illustration to space, as I have close family and friends in the Czech Republic. I feel honored to commemorate Petr, Ilan and all the victims of the Holocaust in this way.”
Each astronaut gets a small amount of cargo space so they can bring items of personal significance with them for their mission in space. Astronauts frequently bring along pictures of loved ones and other mementos. Feustel included the replica image among his personal items.
Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Center located in Jerusalem, presented Drew Feustel with the drawing on February 1, 2018, the date that would have been Petr Ginz’s 90th birthday and the 15th anniversary of the Columbia disaster.
Out of this world.