Astronaut's diary goes on display in Jerusalem

JERUSALEM (AP) - Pages from an Israeli astronaut's diary that survived the explosion of space shuttle Columbia and a 37-mile fall to earth are going on display at a museum in Jerusalem this weekend.

The diary belonged to Ilan Ramon, Israel's first astronaut and one of seven crew members killed when Columbia disintegrated upon re-entering the atmosphere in 2003.

Two pages will be displayed at the Israel Museum. One contains notes written by Ramon, and the other is a copy of the Kiddush prayer, a blessing over wine that Jews recite on the Sabbath.

The museum curator says it survived extreme heat in the explosion, extreme atmospheric cold, and then "was attacked by microorganisms and insects" in the field where it fell. He calls it a miracle that it was recovered.

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