Cosmiverse discusses the difficulties faced by the first ever Israeli astronaut, Colonel Ilan Ramon, scheduled to go up on the Columbia in July. Ramon is an observant Jew.
...the Sabbath in space occurs every 10.5 hours in orbit. Jews are required to observe the Sabbath "every seventh day", starting at sunset on Friday evening and ending the following day "when three stars are seen".
They must refrain from any "creative work" on the Sabbath and say three sets of prayers, ideally in a synagogue. Strict Jews mark the beginning of Sabbath by reciting a prayer over wine -- the Kiddush -- sanctifying the holy day.
Aboard the space shuttle however, Colonel Ilan Ramon will orbit the earth every 90 minutes, with each orbit counting technically as a day because from his perspective the sun has risen and set. The stars will be visible to him at all times.
NASA has already agreed to provide Ramon with kosher food (an endless supply of Tang?) but what to do about his Shabbat observance? He asked his rabbi, who referred the question to rabbis world-wide. And of course, they don't agree!
One of the scholars consulted, Rabbi Levy Yitzhak Halperin, has already ruled the colonel should be relieved of his obligations as he will not be experiencing "Earth time". This opinion is not shared by a British colleague, who insists that since one cannot exist in space without recreating Earth-like conditions that make it habitable, one should follow the same routine in Space as they would on Earth.
The British rabbi did offer an alternative reason why Col. Ramon should be excused from strict adherence during his flight saying that Ramon's fellow crew members are unlikely to appreciate him taking time off during what is likely to be a very intense mission, especially when to do so might endanger their lives.
UPDATE: Rabbi Yossie Denburg told the Sunday Telegraph that "This is one small step for Col. Ramon, but a large step for Jews worldwide."
2nd UPDATE: A reader of the Volokhs recalls an old Rabbinical tale:
There is a famous story (it may be apocryphal) that I've heard about [the late] Rabbi Yitzhak Hutner (the former head of the Yeshiva Chaim Berlin in Brooklyn and a famous luminary in the circles that make rabbis famous). He was asked by a student back in the 50's or 60s when to keep the Sabbath on the moon.
He replied "Here is a Quarter, call me when you get there." Well I guess that time has come.
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