Following our question to you which items, mementos or symbols you suggest Eytan Stibbe take with him to the Space Station on the Rakia Mission, the first item to enter Eytan’s personal carry-on bag has been selected!

A Jewish coin, 1900 years old, from the Bar Kochva Uprising bearing the name of Simeon Bar Kochva.

The coin, discovered in the Judean Desert, bears symbols which are the hallmarks of Second Tempe-era Jewish art: a date palm on one side and a vine leaf on the other.

Ahead of lift-off, which is scheduled for February 2022, and before he departs for training, Stibbe visited the Judean Desert Scrolls Laboratories and was loaned the coin by the Director General of the Antiquities Authority, Eli Askozido.

Photo: Yuli Schwartz, Israel Antiquities Authority