WATCH: Astronaut Celebrates Jackie Robinson Day From Space
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Fans and players across the country are paying tribute to the legacy of Jackie Robinson.
And high above Earth, at the International Space Station, NASA astronaut Terry Virts is joining them in his own unique way.
Virts has been posting photos on Twitter to celebrate Jackie Robinson Day and recorded a video message honoring the Hall of Famer, who broke Major League Baseball's color barrier with the Brooklyn Dodgers on April 15, 1947.
"What he did took courage -- a lot of courage," Virts said in a video posted to MLB.com.
All players at MLB ballparks -- from Queens to Los Angeles -- will wear Robinson's No. 42 on Wednesday. It has become an annual tradition in the years since his number was universally retired in 1997.
"They say that baseball mimics life, and the story of my hero, Jackie Robinson, is surely one of the best examples of this," Virts said. "So in honor of Jackie, let's play ball."
