11 t o S PA C E

among NASA's 100 astronauts. Five have
traveled into space at least once, although
none is scheduled for the shuttle's next
flight in February. They are the latest in a
long line of Jews who love space, the stars
and the planets, starting in the Bible and
proceeding through the Middle Ages and
into modern times.
For millennia, Jews have wondered
about God's relationship with the things
above us. But the phenomenon of putting
human beings in space has brought out a
new set of religious questions, some of
which may not be answered for decades or,
even, centuries.
The Torah doesn't address life in space
or extraterrestrials, although it makes
many references to the stars and the
heavens.
In the Eighth Psalm, the writer ques-
tions human beings' significance in the
grand scheme of the skies:
I look up at your heavens, made by your
finger
at the moon and stars you set in place,
Ah, what is man that you should spare
a thought for him
the son of man that you should care for
him?
The Torah also warned the Israelites not
to worship the heavens:
When you look up to the sky and behold

the sun, and the moon, and the stars, the
whole heavenly host, you must not be lured
into bowing down to them or serving them
(Deuteronomy 4:19).
The sages of the Talmud considered
astronomy essential to determining the
Jewish calendar. They also believed that
F was the center of creation and
heaven was spread around it.
There were many Jewish astronomers
in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance.
More than 250 are known to have lived
before 1500.

Judaica In Space

I

n modern times, Jews have mapped the
features of the moon, discovered new as-
teroids and invented a new telescope.
But perhaps the most widely known and
exciting has been the work of the astro-
nauts, seven of whom have been Jewish.
One, Judy Resnik, died in the Challenger
accident nine years ago.
Born in Akron, Ohio, Ms. Resnik was
chosen as an astronaut — the first Jewish
astronaut — in 1978. Six years later, she
flew on a 1984 shuttle mission. She died
on Jan. 28, 1986, when the shuttle Chal-
lenger exploded one minute and 13 seconds
into its launch from Florida's Kennedy
Space Center.
Although the Jewish commitment of

some of the remaining six Jewish astro-
nauts couldn't be determined for this
article, several openly acknowledge how
their faith has shaped their identity and
being.
"Even though rm not involved in it day-
to-day, there's a culture of quality and
teamwork that Judaism represents for me,"
said astronaut David Wolf. always take
something of the Jewish faith up with me."
Dr. Wolf, 38, an Indianapolis native and
medical doctor, became an astronaut in
1991. He flew on the shuttle Columbia from
Oct. 18 to Nov. 1, 1993, when he and the
crew performed medical experiments on
themselves and 48 rats.
Dr. Wolf grew up as a member of
Indianapolis' Conservative Temple Beth-
El, where he attended Hebrew school.
When his career took a scientific turn, his
Jewish education continued to shape his
values.
"I was taught that God's the best part of
you," he said. "When we can't explain
things, it doesn't mean we should attribute
them to a higher being. There are physical
explanations for what we see around us.
"We live in a limited region of the uni-
verse. Being in space, I learned that the
earth was limited. I definitely think there
are other forms of intelligence that we have
little chance of ever meeting."

0

Cher than sharing a religion,
NASA's six current Jewish
astronauts also share high
educational achievements
(five have Ph.D.$) and much expe-
rience in space. Added together,
they have been on 13 NASA ven-
tures into space. Below is bio-
graphical data on each.

Born: April
28, 1949,
Springfield,
Mass. Consid-
ers Pitts-
burgh, Pa.,
his home-
town.
Education:
Shady Side
Academy,
Pittsburgh, 1967; B.A. in physics,
1971, Harvard University; Ph.D.
in physics, 1976, Massachusetts
Tnstitute of Technology.
Personal: Married to the former
Eleanor Emmons. Children Sarah,
6; Rachel, 3.
NASA experience: Flew on the
shuttle Atlantis in 1991 and on
the Endeavour in 1992 and 1994.

ELLEN BAKER

Born: April
27, 1953,
Fayetteville,
N.C. Considers
New York her
hometown.
Education:
Bayside High
School, Bay-
side, N.Y.,
1970; B.A. in
geology, State University of New
York, Buffalo, 1974; Ph.D. in med-
icine, Cornell University, 1978.
Personal: Married to Kenneth
Baker. Children Karen, 6; Mered-
ith, 3.
NASA experience: Flew aboard
the Atlantis, 1989, and Columbia,
1992. Scheduled to board the At-
lantis in mid-1995 on a 10-day
mission.

JEFFREY HOFFMAN

Born: Nov. 2, 1944, Brooklyn,
N.Y. Considers Scarsdale, N.Y.,
his hometown.
Education: Scarsdale High
School, Scarsdale, N.Y., 1962; B.A.
in astronomy, 1966, Amherst Col-
lege; Ph.D. in astrophysics, 1971,
Harvard University; M.A. in mate-

On the flight deck of the Space Shuttle Columbia, astronaut Marsha S. Ivins works on a thermal imaging project. She spent
nearly 14 days in space.

continues on page 57

