The second Israeli astronaut to fly into space plans to take an ancient Jewish coin with him next year.
Eytan Stibbe is set to blast-off to the International Space Station on board a Space-X craft in January.
He will carry a coin, dating back to the time of the Bar Kokhba Revolt in the year 132 .
That uprising broke out over religious restrictions imposed by the Romans and their decision to build a pagan sanctuary over the ruins of Jerusalem’s second temple, that was destroyed 60 years earlier.
The former fighter pilot says the coin featuring a palm tree and vine leaf will be a symbol of the Jewish land and his love of his country.
The mission will also be in memory of his friend Ilan Ramon who was the first Israeli astronaut into space.
Tragically, he died in the Columbia space shuttle disaster in 2003.
