Israeli spacecraft snaps out-of-this-world selfie during moon voyage

Shalom from space!

An Israeli spacecraft snapped a photo of itself from 23,000 miles above Earth on Tuesday as it orbits the planet ahead of its planned trip to the moon.

Beresheet — which means “Genesis” in Hebrew — lifted off from Cape Canaveral in Florida two weeks ago atop a used SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.

In the photo taken during a slow spin of the 1,300-pound spacecraft, the Israeli flag with the Star of David is seen along with the inscription in English, “Small Country, Big Dreams.”

The plaque also contains the Hebrew phrase “Am Israel Chai,” mean translates to, “The nation of Israel lives.”

Meanwhile, Australia is clearly visible on Earth’s Southern Hemisphere.

“The selfie of the spacecraft is proof of the technological power of Israel,” declared Israeli Minister of Science and Technology Ofir Akunis, according to the Jerusalem Post.

“Despite the small size of the spacecraft Beresheet, it brings us great joy. The spacecraft is proof of the technological strength and power of Israel, and its success passes on an educational message as well to the children of Israel: You need to dream big.”

Beresheet will remain in orbit until March 20, when it is planned to reach lunar capture orbit and eventually land on the moon’s Sea of Serenity on April 11.

NY Post.