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NASA astronaut sends Chanukah greetings from space

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Meir is the fourth woman of Jewish heritage to be part of a space mission.

By World Israel News Staff

On Monday, NASA astronaut Jessica Meir tweeted out her holiday wishes from the International Space Station (ISS) alongside a photo of her purple menorah and green Star of David socks.

“Happy Hanukkah to all those who celebrate it on Earth!” Meir tweeted from the space station’s Cupola module.

Hundreds of Meir’s Twitter followers expressed their appreciation and amazement.

“An important aspect of lighting the menorah in the front of our homes is publicizing the miracle of Hanukkah. By celebrating in front of the entire planet, you have taken Hanukkah to a whole new level. Great work and happy Hanukkah Jessica!” one tweet said.

“Pretty nice view but, oy, those socks!” said another.

On Sep. 25, Meir lifted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan to the ISS together with Russian astronaut Oleg Skripochka and Hazzaa Ali Almansoori, the first Arab to ever set foot on the International Space Station.

Meir is the fourth woman of Jewish heritage and the 15th overall to be part of a space mission.

Meir’s Jewish roots come from her late father who was an Iraqi-Israeli Jew. He emigrated with his family to pre-state Israel as a child and fought in the War of Independence. He became a doctor and moved to Sweden, where he met Meir’s mother. The family eventually moved to Maine because of her father’s work.

Onboard the ISS, Meir is conducting medical, physiological and chemical experiments to learn more about how staying in space affects human beings.