Kosher food is about to go where kosher food never went before. NASA's 40 years flying into space have had a few Jewish astronauts -- such as Judith Resnick, who died in the Challenger shuttle explosion in 1986, and David Wolf, who returned from the Endeavor flight.

But no one has requested kosher food. Until now. Col. Ilan Ramon, 47, from Tel Aviv, Israel, training for a U.S. space shuttle mission devoted to international research, will be the first to get a kosher meal in space.

"I told them I wanted kosher food, and they told me they'd have to check it out because nobody ever asked them for kosher food," Ramon said by telephone from Houston, where he has been training at the Johnson Space Center since 1998.

Ramon is not particularly religious, but realizes that as Israel's first astronaut, "I kind of represent the whole Jewish community." Local rabbis were ecstatic when they heard that NASA can accommodate Ramon's request.

"This is one small step for Col. Ramon, but a large step for Jews worldwide," said Rabbi Yossie Denburg of Congregation Chabad Lubavitch in Coral Springs.

Ramon, a member of the Israeli air force, is the son of a German immigrant and a mother who survived the Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland.

"I'm in contact with a lot of Holocaust organizations and for these people, it's more than a miracle," he said. "After all they've been through, it's very exciting to see an Israeli astronaut flying high."

Kosher is a Hebrew word that means "proper" or "fit," and certifies food prepared according to Jewish dietary and religious laws. Rules include not mixing meat with milk, no pork or shellfish, meat must come from an animal that chews its cud and has split hooves such as cows and sheep, and meat must be soaked and salted and the animal must be killed instantly without suffering.

That creates a new set of challenges for the space program.

Astronauts usually select their food from a wide menu that includes -- just to name a few -- spaghetti, macaroni and cheese, ham salad spread, salmon, rice, eggs, nine kinds of cereal and five varieties of pudding. They are also allowed special requests, such as vegetarian meals or a favorite kind of candy or cracker.

To accommodate their first kosher traveler into space, Vickie Kloeris, system manager for food, said NASA contacted a company that sells certified kosher food in "thermostabilized" sealed pouches -- actually meant to accommodate campers. The company has also sold kosher food directly to U.S soldiers since 1993, said Joe D'Onofrio, the chief financial officer. The military started buying the kosher food from the company in 1996 for all service members requesting it.

The food comes in 8-ounce foil pouches and has a shelf life of more than three years, which is perfect for space flight.

"He'll warm them and open and eat them in orbit," Kloeris said. Of 10 kosher choices, Ramon picked five: Florentine lasagna, beef stew, chicken Mediterranean, My Kind of Chicken (which the company describes as chunks of light and dark chicken with brown rice, peas and carrots), and Old World Stew (beef with brown rice, zucchini, pinto beans and Middle East flavors), Kloeris said.

Ramon will sample them, and if he doesn't like those, he has a few other choices including pasta with garden vegetables and cheese tortellini. "How unbelievable," said Rabbi Moishe Lipszyc, of Fort Lauderdale. "Who would have thought this in your wildest dreams?"

Ramon, whose launch date from Florida has not been scheduled yet but will likely be in 2002, will work with the Americans on a project that will record particles of sand and dust from the desert whose distribution in the atmosphere can affect global cooling and warming. He will also conduct an experiment involving plant seeds to be monitored by an Israeli middle school.

Kloeris said cramped quarters aboard the shuttle don't leave enough room to provide Ramon with a total kosher diet. He will have to eat many items from the standard menu during his 10-day flight.

That detail doesn't concern local rabbis. "Whatever he can do is great," Denburg said. "I'm sure he'll choose neutral foods like fruits and vegetables."

Lisa J. Huriash can be reached at lhuriash@sun-sentinel.com. Copyright 2001