The handwritten journal pages of Israel's first astronaut have been added to the country's national library in Jerusalem, more than 20 years after they were found among the debris from the NASA tragedy that claimed his life.
Ilan Ramon wrote most of the diary while he was in orbit aboard the space shuttle Columbia, serving as an STS-107 payload specialist on the winged spacecraft's last, ill-fated flight. The found pages document Ramon's day-to-day life in space, from his hygiene routine to the research he performed on behalf of NASA and his home nation.
Also included were his notes on the Jewish practices that he was to demonstrate from high above Earth.
"Identified among the restored pages was the Friday night blessing over wine, with Ramon's annotations. Apparently aware he was to broadcast the 'Kiddush' live from space, Ramon wanted to make sure he did not forget a single word," read a release issued by the National Library of Israel on Wednesday (May 29).
Related: Columbia shuttle disaster: What happened and what NASA learned
