NASA astronaut tweets Israel as seen from space, honors Israeli father

“My father’s globe-spanning journey as a surgeon from the Middle East, to Europe, and eventually to the U.S. was an inspiration,” wrote Jessica Meir.

By World Israel News Staff 

NASA astronaut Jessica Meir posted three photographs on Twitter on Friday which show Israel as seen from space.

Meir is a Swedish-American whose father is Israeli.

“My father’s globe spanning journey as a surgeon from the Middle East, to Europe, and eventually to the U.S. was an inspiration to many in my immediate and extended family,” she tweeted in the post in which she also displays the photos.

She is a “Comparative physiologist. Explorer. Nature lover. Current resident of the International Space Station,” as she describes herself on Twitter.

She blasted off from a launch facility in Kazakhstan on September 25.  The crew also included a Russian and the first astronaut in space from the United Arab Emirates.

Meir’s mission is to last more than six months.

On October 18, she and fellow-astronaut Christina Koch “completed NASA’s first all-woman spacewalk,” said the U.S. space agency

“During the 7-hour, 17-minute spacewalk, the pair replaced a failed power controller and completed several other tasks in preparation for future spacewalks,” said the NASA statement.

During her mission, Meir has also conducted an “Earth-to-space call” with students at her high school, telling the current students: “Never be afraid to take a risk and fail. In the end, it may bring you closer to what you want to do.”

The International Space Station has been orbiting Earth since 1998.