Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor Hopes To Form 'Islamic Space Agency'

National astronaut Datuk Dr Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor said today his main mission this year is to gather all the nine Muslim astronauts worldwide to form an Islamic Space Agency.

He said he had already met Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Sultan bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, to discuss how to form the agency when he performed the haj in Mecca last year.

Prince Sultan is a retired officer in the Royal Saudi Air Force and a former astronaut. He is a grandson of King Ibn Saud and is the only Saudi citizen to travel in space and the first Muslim to do so.

"I hope more Muslim astronauts will travel in space and more Muslim aerospace experts can meet and contribute in the fields of science and technology," he told Bernama after a Batek Modelling exhibition in conjunction with Chinese New year 2009 at the Galeri Seri Endon.

On another related matter, Dr Sheikh Muszaphar said he had also met the Deputy Minister of Science, Technology and Innovations, Fadillah Yusof to clarify on the allegation that he had amassed wealth from giving talks on his space experience and was waiting for a response whether his contract with the ministry would be continued.

Dr Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor was alleged to have charged a fee of RM8,000 per hour for his talks and had amassed RM1.2 million from 150 companies upon his return from the International Space Station (ISS) in October last year. (Bernama)

***** How much of islamising everything in sight will suffice? Lawyers have the Muslim Lawyers Association and doctors have to contend with the Islamic Medical Association of Malaysia (IMAM). Now Dr Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor wants to take this religious fervour to space!

Of course this lofty talk of forming an Islamic Space Agency could be just an attempt to divert attention from the accusations that he had capitalised on his space trip to make huge sums of money. Stranger things have happened.

'Sabah More Important Than 2nd Space Mission'

Tuaran MP Datuk Wilfred M. Bumburing urged the Government to suspend - if not stop altogether - its angkasawan programme as sending man into outer space will not bring any immediate benefit to Malaysia in general.

Bumburing who is United Pasok Momogun Kadazandusun Murut Organisation (Upko) Deputy President said, instead, the Government should utilise the money in developing Sabah.

Speaking at a meet-the-people session here attended by some 500 party members and supporters, he said the money should be used to develop Sabah as a food producing state.

"There is no point spending millions of ringgit to send man into space when we are still totally depending on rice imports to feed our citizens.

"Currently the world is facing a food crisis where several third world countries are facing severe food shortages. Sabah is only producing slightly above 35 per cent of its rice requirement and should the percentage dip below this, our rice and food situation in Sabah would be considered to be at a disastrous level. "By right, Sabah and Sarawak should be able to produce its own rice if everyone is committed into embarking on rice cultivation with government assistance," he said.

Bumburing said when he was a member of the State Cabinet (1999-2000), a proposal was made to identify 20,000 hectares to be developed for rice cultivation. The proposal was followed up by the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry, then under Datuk Lajim Hj Ukin and he remembered being told that an area had been identified.

"But until now, the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry seems to be still in the process of identifying those areas. I suggest that if those suitable areas are under forest reserve, the Government can turn other hilly and untenable state land into forest reserve and release this suitable land to be developed for rice cultivation."

The session was part of Bumburing's roadshow around the various polling centres throughout the Tuaran Parliamentary constituency. "I call upon all Upko members to work harder to strengthen the party and to consolidate its membership. The recent election showed that the opposition candidates managed to obtain some votes even in areas where the said opposition candidates didn't even go and campaign. "This is something that every branch and divisional leaders must analyse and rectify," he said.

The MP assured that he would strive to get the Federal Government to build two bridges crossing the Tuaran river, one connecting Tuaran Town with Sungai Damit and the other connecting Kiulu Town with the surrounding villages across the Tuaran river. (Daily Express, Sabah)

***** Unfortunately for Sabah its rice production has less propaganda value for Umno than sending a 'heroic' Malay to angkasa lepas. Not that the earlier trip helped them in the last elections.

Malaysia's Angkasawan Aspires To Return To ISS As Commander

Malaysia's first angkasawan Dr Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor Sheikh Mustapha aspires to return to the International Space Station (ISS) as a mission commander in future. Still missing life on the ISS, he also hopes to be there longer.

"I have been telling myself that I want to return to the ISS for six months and hoping that it will be as its commander. God willing, I will prove that I can do it," he said in an exclusive interview with Bernama's Radio 24 today.

He said that his success in completing the space mission proved he was serious in wanting to fulfill his responsibilities as a Malaysian. He said that he now felt free after having successfully fulfilled the huge responsibilities entrusted on him. "I realised it was a huge responsibility for me and I am very grateful for having performed it well," he said in the interview from the post-space mission quarantine centre in Star City, Moscow.

Dr Sheikh Muszaphar will be at the quarantine centre for between 10 days and two weeks for health monitoring before he can be allowed to come home. He, however, is very grateful that throughout the space mission, he did not have any health problems and attributed his healthy condition to the Malaysians who prayed for him.

On the challenges facing him during the mission, Dr Sheikh Muszaphar said the biggest challenge was to carry out the experiments which had been entrusted on him. "I realised the experiments like the one of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia was crucial because the scientists had worked very hard for two years on it ... and I did the best possible," he added.

Dr Sheikh Muszaphar also said that he took the space mission seriously and not for fun. "It was not for fun or merely to travel to space. To me, it was crucial to show the whole world that we, Malaysians, are capable of doing things like this," he said.

He said that he also felt elated and proud to be given the trust by the European Space Agency (ESA) to repair its equipment at the ISS.

"It was indeed a great honour that the ESA placed its trust in a Malaysian angkasawan to do the job," said the orthopaedic surgeon. In the interview, which lasted for almost an hour, Dr Sheikh Muszaphar was also asked on NASA's action in not recognising him as an angkasawan but only as a space flight participant.

"To me, regardless whether NASA called me a space flight participant or by any other name, what is important is that I'm recognised as an angkasawan by all Malaysians.

"Likewise the Russians, they recognised me as a Cosmonaut Researcher. This is important because I did the training with them and only they know what we (he and Kapt Dr Faiz Khaleed (Malaysia's back up angkasawan) went through and how serious we were to accomplish the mission," he said.

He, however, said that the training they went through was different than the one required by space tourists, whose training was only for six months.

"Perhaps, I should also prove to them (NASA) that I am capable of doing the best. Hopefully, after this I will get to go to space longer, perhaps six months and be given the opportunity to work with NASA and to prove to them that we are as good their astronauts," he said.

Meanwhile, recalling the experience during landing in the Soyuz TMA-10 capsule, Dr Sheikh Muszaphar said he felt difficulty breathing and his chest felt like an elephant stepping on it. "It felt like an elephant stepping on your chest... it pressed on your chest so hard that you felt like you were not able to breathe and uncomfortable. But we had been taught to breathe through our abdomen and release the air through the chest, the training saved us," he added.

During the interview, Dr Sheikh Muszaphar also took the opportunity to thank all Malaysians for their prayers and hoped Malaysia would produce more angkasawan and scientists in future. He also hoped that Malaysia would make further inroads in aerospace development and produce its own rocket for a space mission. (Bernama)

***** Syabas Dr Muszaphar. May your successfully completed mission be the beginning of a new era in Malaysia's space journey. Ignore the envious ones who tried to find fault every step of the way and pathetically attempted to belittle the entire space trip.

True, that the circumstances surrounding the conception of our space programme, especially the defence deal with Russia regarding the purchase of MIG fighter jets, leaves many questions unanswered. But that has nothing to do with you or future angkasawans. You now serve as a shining example of what we can achieve and will be an inspiration for those determined to excel.
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Due To Computer Glitch, Soyuz Craft Carrying Sheikh Muszaphar Lands 210 Miles Short Of Destination

A Soyuz craft veered off its designated landing course Sunday, coming down more than 200 miles short of its original destination on the steppes of Kazakhstan. It arrived safely, bringing two Russian cosmonauts and Malaysia's first space traveler back to Earth, officials said.

A computer glitch caused the landing capsule carrying Russians Fyodor Yurchikhin and Oleg Kotov and Malaysian Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor to end up about 210 miles west of the designated site near Arkalyk, Kazakhstan, Russia's Mission Control spokesman Valery Lyndin said.

The craft arrived at 6:36 EDT one minute ahead of schedule and the crew was unharmed, he said.

Russian search and rescue teams quickly located the craft, NASA reported on its Web site. It said all the three crew members were feeling fine.

The spacecraft's descent was unusually steep apparently due to the computer glitch, and the crew was subjected to a higher than normal gravity load, Lyndin said.

Yurchikhin and Kotov were returning home after a six-month stint at the international space station. Sheikh had been at the orbital outpost since Oct. 12.

Russian Space Agency chief Anatoly Perminov said space officials and experts "experienced a few tense moments," but added that the crew was in good condition. "All crew members have been recovered and they are feeling quite well," Perminov said at a news conference at Mission Control.

Alexei Krasnov, the head of the Russian space agency's manned space programs, said an official commission was formed to investigate the glitch. "It's difficult to immediately name a specific reason behind the problem. We need to do an in-depth analysis," he said.

A similar problem occurred in May 2003 when the crew Russian cosmonaut Nikolai Budarin and American astronauts Kenneth Bowersox and Donald Pettit also experienced a steep, off-course landing. It then took salvage crews several hours to locate the spacecraft because of communications problems.

Yurchikhin and Kotov were returning home after a six-month stint at the international space station. Sheikh had been at the orbital outpost since Oct. 12. (ABC News)

***** Let us give thanks to God that our angkasawan and the other crew members returned unharmed to Earth.
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Our Angkasawans To Be Recognized As Cosmonauts By Russian Government

National spaceman Dr Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor Sheikh Mustapha, 35, and second choice Kapten Dr Faiz Khaleed will receive recognition to be named as “cosmonauts” from the Russian government in a graduation-like ceremony to be held in Moscow soon.

Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Datuk Seri Dr Jamaluddin Jarjis said the ceremony would be held after Dr Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor returns to the country.

Dr Jamaluddin hoped that the recognition would stop the debate on the Malaysian space mission.

“We also plan to send Dr Faiz to be trained in Nasa for the next mission,” Dr Jamaluddin told reporters.

He said he would be leaving for the US at end of November to meet Nasa officials to discuss the plan to send Dr Faiz for training for at least a year or six months, depending on the situation.

Dr Jamaluddin said Dr Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor is scheduled to return to the earth on Sunday and undergo “quarantine” for at least a week to 'neutralise'(?) himself with the gravity on earth. (The Star)

***** Why does Jarjis feel that any 'debate' on the angkasawan be 'stopped' just because of the upcoming Russian government recognition? What has the recognition to do with the speculation about deals, counter-deals and under-the-counter payments in the purchase of MIG jets?

I'm also surprised that a lowly errand boy of the Federal government, i.e. Jarjis who can't tell the difference between a fish ball and Spaceball wants to go to the U.S. and hold discussions with NASA! What 'incentive' is he going to provide them and how much will it cost the taxpayer? Will he speak English there or will he like the former Selangor MB, Muhammad s/o Muhammad claim that he no 'speaky Inglis'?
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Is Our Angkasawan A Scientist Too?

Dr Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor Sheikh Mustapha is not only an astronaut but is also entitled to be called a scientist, a Malaysian scientist said Tuesday.

"He (Dr Sheikh Muszaphar) is called an astronaut because he has travelled into outer space but we must not forget that he is also a scientist because he is trained to conduct scientific research in space," said Tan Sri Dr Ahmad Zaharudin Idrus, former science advisor to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

"Although Dr Sheikh Muszaphar is an orthopaedic surgeon, his knowledge as a scientist is beyond question," he told reporters here today.

Dr Ahmad Zaharudin, who was also science advisor to former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, was confident that Dr Sheikh Muszaphar would not encounter any problems in carrying out his tasks -- conducting research into the crystallisation of protein and microbes or bacteria during his stay at the International Space Station (ISS).

Dr Ahmad Zaharudin, who is now the chairman of Malaysian Biotechnology Corporation Sdn Bhd, said Dr Sheikh Muszaphar would continue to conduct research once he is back on Earth.

He said that the data to be collected by Dr Sheikh Muszaphar from the experiments aboard the ISS was very important to research work carried out at six local universities including Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) and Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM).

They (experiments) were to explore new scientific frontiers and could be used as reference by other scientists, he said, adding that Malaysians should be proud that local scientists were at par with their foreign counterparts.

However, he hoped that Malaysian scientists would communicate more with those outside Malaysia by publishing their work in foreign journals.

Dr Sheikh Muszaphar, 35, blasted off into outer space on board a Soyuz TMA-11 spacecraft on Oct 10 together with American astronaut Peggy Whitson and Russian aerospace engineer Yuri Malenchenko from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

In doing so, he created history by becoming the first Malaysian to go into space.

The Soyuz TMA-11 docked with the ISS on Friday. Dr Sheikh Muszaphar is due to return to Earth on October 21. (Bernama)

***** It's all a little confusing though. The Americans consider him a space flight participant. The Russians say that he's a cosmonaut. And now we are asked to believe that he's a scientist exploring new scientific frontiers. Great!
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Najib Will Go To Moscow To Greet Malaysian Astronaut On His Return From Space

Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak will be here on Oct 21 to welcome back to earth Dr Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor Sheikh Mustapha, the first Malaysian to go into space.

Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Datuk Seri Dr Jamaludin Jarjis said here today Najib, who will represent Malaysia and its people, had confirmed by telephone his presence here on that date.

Dr Sheikh Muszaphar is scheduled to return to earth at 6 pm (Russian time) at a location 1,500km from here. He will be with Commander Fyodor Yurchikhin and Flight Engineer Oleg Kotov, who are now in the International Space Station (ISS).

The Malaysian had blasted off into space from Baikonur, Kazakhstan, on Oct 10 in the Soyuz TMA-11 spacecraft with Commander Peggy Whitson and Flight Engineer Yuri Malenchenko, and is scheduled to dock with the ISS tonight.

Jamaludin said it would take between six and eight hours for the two recovery helicopters to locate the spacecraft and bring the crew to the nearest airport for their flight to Moscow.

He also said that he would convey to the Russian Space Agency, Roscosmos, the Malaysian government's decision to have backup astronaut Capt Dr Faiz Khaleed participate in the next space mission.

Jamaludin said he would seek the assistance of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) of the United States to train Dr Faiz to surpass the NASA benchmark for an astronaut.

"Both Dr Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor and Dr Faiz have surpassed the benchmark set by Russia. Now we want them to surpass the American benchmark," he said.

Jamaludin said efforts must also be made to find a backup astronaut for Dr Faiz, who himself had been the backup astronaut for Dr Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor.

Meanwhile, Dr Faiz said he was happy to know that the Malaysian government, as announced by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi on Oct 10, had decided to enable him participate in the next space mission. (Bernama)

***** What a caring and concerned leader we have in our beloved DPM, who is taking the trouble to go all the way to Russia to receive our angkasawan on his return. I wonder which other country will bother to send their number two man in a similar situation. Keeping in mind that Najib is a very busy person on a hectic daily schedule, it must be quite a sacrifice for him to travel to Moscow and await our angkasawan.

There are of course those who would say that he is merely trying to get some reflected publicity from the space trip. I don't know. What do you think?
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Malaysia Hopes Space Voyage Will Inspire Future Scientists

In an interview with VOA from Kazakhstan, Malaysia's Science, Technology and Innovations Minister, Jamaluddin Jarjis, says he hopes the mission will inspire a new generation of Malaysian scientists.

"Putting our man, our Malaysian man in space, is basically - we want to raise the bar for Malaysia in terms of acquiring knowledge for the future, especially the young ones, the five million kids in school," he said. "And also we are quite proud, because in conjunction with our 50th anniversary of the nation, that we are positioning ourselves as part of the - connected to the world."

Muszaphar is a member of Malaysia's Malay ethnic group, and much advance study and debate went into deciding how he would honor his Muslim religious duties while in space.

The Muslim requirement to face in the direction of Mecca during daily prayers, for example, is a challenging prospect while orbiting hundreds of miles above the earth in a weightless environment. An imaginary line from Mecca into space was drawn, and it was decided that Muszaphar would face that line at the start of his prayers, and continue facing the same direction throughout the flight.

He also pledged to follow religious practice during the last days of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which coincide with the beginning of the mission.

Malaysian clerics exempted Muszaphar from fasting while in space, but he says he will observe the fasts anyway.

The country's Ministry of Religion has written the world's first handbook for Muslim astronauts to sort out that and other religious issues.

Malaysia paid Russia $25 million to allow Muszaphar's participation, part of a $900 million package linked to Malaysia's purchase of 18 Russian fighter jets.

The 35-year-old surgeon is scheduled to return to Earth October 21, while his two companions remain behind in the space station. (VOA News)
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Malaysian Readies For Hari Raya In Space

A crew that includes Malaysia's first astronaut and an American who will become the first woman to command the international space station prepared Monday for blastoff later this week.

Shaikh Muszaphar Shukor, a Muslim, will spend 12 days at the international space station.

The Soyuz-FG rocket is scheduled to blast off from the Central Asian steppe on Wednesday night to take Malaysia's Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor, Peggy Whitson of Beaconsfield, Iowa, and Russian Yuri Malenchenko into orbit.

During his 12-day space trip, Shukor is to study the effects of microgravity and space radiation on cells and microbes, as well as experiments with proteins for a potential HIV vaccine.

The rocket —adorned with a Malaysian flag and coat of arms and carrying a Soyuz TMA-11 spacecraft—was moved Monday to the launch pad from its assembly site at the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

"It's too exciting to be cold," said Shankini Dovaisingam, a Malaysian aerospace engineer observing the final preparations. "It's amazing to see the Malaysian flag on a Soyuz spaceship."

The mission coincides with the last days of Ramadan, the holy month when Muslims fast from dawn until sundown, but Malaysian clerics decreed that Shukor will be excused from fasting while in space.

Shukor's religion also requires that he face Mecca for prayer but clerics decided that the exact location matters only for the beginning of the prayer ritual.

Shukor, 35, will bring a "symbolic" load of Malaysian food to the space station, said Zulkeffeli Mat Jusoh, a program director for the Malaysian space program.
(Source- Gulf News)

Interesting report:
Dr Mahathir Improving, Looks Forward To Launching Of Malaysian Astronaut.

Pak Lah Congratulates Dr Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor

Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has congratulated Dr Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor Sheikh Mustapha for being picked as Malaysia's first angkasawan (cosmonaut) who will go on a space mission tomorrow.

"I wish to congratulate him. I'm very happy that our man has been chosen for this special mission into space. I hope that he'll do well ," he told reporters after chairing the Iskandar Regional Development Authority (IRDA) board meeting here today.

"I'm sure the Russians know best after having conducted the test. They have done everything they could to ensure that the person who is finally selected for the mission will be the one who is capable of performing the task that is assigned to him," he said.

Dr Sheikh Muszaphar was picked by the Russian Space Agency (Roscosmos) selection panel to join American Commander Peggy Whitson and Russian flight engineer Yuri Malenchenko for the space mission that will blast off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 7.21pm local time (9.21pm Malaysian time).

The 35-year-old orthopaedic surgeon from Seremban will spend 10 days on the International Space Station.

Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said Dr Sheikh Muszaphar was chosen on merit, his suitability to become an angkasawan and ability to conduct scientific experiments during his space sojourn. (Bernama)

***** We too should offer our congratulations to the successful angkasawan. This blog wishes Dr Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor Sheikh Mustapha all the very best in this space trip and may God protect him and his fellow crew members throughout the historic and momentous journey. Indeed we should all be very, very proud that a Malaysian has finally made it to space and may this be the beginning of a new era of space research and innovation in Malaysia.
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First Malaysian In Space A Cosmonaut, Says Jarjis

Malaysia's first "angkasawan" (space traveller) will be recognised as a cosmonaut by the Russian space authorities, said Science, Techology and Innovations Minister Datuk Seri Jamaludin Jarjis.

He said that an official recognition ceremony for the angkasawan as a cosmonaut would be held in Moscow on Nov 11 following his return from space on Oct 21.

"Some countries might question this, but to me, it is not important. What matters is that the candidate was selected and trained by Russia and the country recognises him as a true cosmonaut," he told reporters after breaking fast with members of the media here tonight.

He was commenting on the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) referring to Dr Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor Sheikh Mustapha, one of two Malaysians eligible to make an expedition to the International Space Station (ISS) on a Russian Soyuz rocket on Oct 10, as "space flight participant" on its website.

The term given by NASA to the Malaysian angkasawan had made many Malaysians unhappy as Malaysia had put in a lot of effort to send its first man into space. "The Russians themselves had told our man (angkasawan) that he is a cosmonaut, and that's the end of the story," he said.

Jamaludin said it was the Russians who had selected and will be sending the Malaysian angkasawan to space and therefore it is appropriate for them to give the recognition and not the United States.

He also said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak will witness the launch of the space expedition in Kuala Lumpur on Oct 10 at 9.30pm.

There will also be teleconferencing between the leaders with the Malaysian angkasawan while he is stationed aboard the ISS.

Jamaludin said the spacecraft carrying the Malaysian angkasawan and two other astronauts accompanying him will land in Siberia not far from the launch pad in Baikonour, Kazakhstan on Oct 21 at 6.30pm Malaysian time. A helicopter will pick them up and take them to an airport where they will be flown to Moscow, he said.

Najib is scheduled to receive the Malaysian Angkasawan there. Jamaludin said the angkasawan would have to undergo health observation for a week before being allowed to return home and that a grand welcome would be organised for him.

He added that he had written to all State Islamic departments and menteris besar and chief minister to hold special prayers on Friday for the angkasawan.
He hoped all Malaysians would join in and pray for the angkasawan's safe expedition. (Bernama)

***** In the past, spacemen of different countries, including India and Vietnam, trained in Russia and launched in Russian craft were always referred to as cosmonauts. Our man is no different and deserves the same recognition and respect accorded to others.

There is no reason to doubt his credentials or his ability. The route through which he got into the space programme may be controversial, i.e. the defence purchase trade-off and the rumoured kickbacks to well connected and influential politicians and their cronies. But that has nothing to do with our man in space and he should not be blamed or belittled because of this. There seems to be a tendency among commenters in this and other blogs to be insulting and scornful of the angkasawan. This more than anything else seems to be a case of sour grapes. So much so one gets the impression that if the cosmonaut had been a Chinese or an Indian there would not have been so many negative observations.

The one thing which puts me off though, is the hype by the Umno leadership. Najib will try to get into the space limelight hoping that it will deflect attention from the irregularities of the defence purchase, while Jarjis will squeeze every bit of publicity for himself and the other umnoputeras. Already Jarjis is using the agama angle by asking State Islamic departments to conduct prayers! As the launch date nears you can be sure that the bangsa, agama dan negara refrain will be heard loudly ad nauseam, while the Umno warlords go to town with the perjuangan parti crap and the optimistic "tak kan Melayu hilang di dunia" slogan. What an effective way to amass some pre-election pahala!
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Most Malaysians Not Taking Angkasawan Programme Seriously. Is That Surprising?

Reported in TheStar update today is the lament by the National Angkasawan Programme director Col Dr Zulkeffeli Mat Jusoh.

A very unhappy Dr Zul said that "a recent survey revealed that Malaysians think it’s a waste of time and money, and that we’re just going to undertake a ‘little’ science project once our angkasawan (astronaut) is sent into space. Worse, many are still under the assumption that we are going to play gasing (top) or make teh tarik (tea) in space!"

He emphasized that nothing could be further from the truth. "Our objective is to uncover monumental findings in the field of science and many countries, the United States and Russia included, are eager to see the results of our experiments. These include studying liver cancer and leukemia cells, bacteria, protein crystallization and the physics of objects in space." he told a press conference.

Dr Zul said that the study of an object’s physics in space, such as a spinning top (the source of the public’s mockery on the experiment) was not to be misunderstood. "There is clearly a huge misconception from the public about our objectives here," he added.

***** To be fair one has to admit that the average Malaysian has been picking on the Angkasawan programme ever since the announcement of the space trip was first made. What drew the 'antipathy' of the people was that the project itself was seen as a trade-off (costing additional tens of millions of ringgit) merely to facilitate the purchase of Soviet jets. Adding to this suspicion and ire were the rumours that 'some person or persons' had made a fortune in kickbacks.

Not helpful was the media report which was given wide coverage that our successful astronaut would be playing 'batu seremban', spinning gasing and roti canai-tossing in space while making teh tarik for the rest of the crew on the ISS. While the primary aim of that hype was to highlight the 'unique Malayness' of the astronaut's activities in space, and hopefully gaining much goodwill for the ruling party, it dramatically backfired and the whole project became a laughing matter and a point of ridicule.

There is no doubt, serious and very credible experiments will be carried out by our angkasawan. However that cannot compensate for the fact that voyaging into outer space is not something new or one which still invokes awe, the way it did a couple of decades ago. Recently an Asian-American woman, Sunita Williams, broke a couple of records including NASA astronaut record for longest time in space. Compared to that feat this journey by our astronaut pales in significance and is considered in today's world as something almost pedestrian.

Therefore to expect great excitement or unrestrained jubilation at this point in time is not very realistic. Once our astronaut completes his journey and returns home, I'm sure that every Malaysian will be justifiably proud of him and will congratulate and welcome him wholeheartedly.

You can read the full report HERE.
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Why Is Our Government Hyping The 'Malaysian Astronaut In Space' Event?

Realistically speaking, I wonder how many Malaysians are truly convinced that this 'space journey' by one of our own is a unique or exceptional achievement? We are merely using a Russian space vehicle to piggyback our 'astronaut' in exchange for buying Russian aircraft at a ridiculously inflated price. That is the painful truth. There have been much older men who have paid their way to outer space and back without this much hoo-haa, basically because the trip is nothing much to shout about in this age and time. Perhaps forty years ago people would have been thrilled to bits.

But here we have our government, preparing the ground to hype this event as the most phenomenal feat of the century! Why? Is it because those in authority are so ignorant or naive to consider our space tourist as a swashbuckling adventurer? I don't think so. Behind this clever public relations move by the government is the more important motive of garnering the goodwill of the less informed citizen, who actually might believe that due to the untiring efforts and policies of our pemimpin2, a son of the soil has accomplished the almost impossible, achieved the unachievable. What better 'feel good' fodder for the next general elections than this space trip?

Please read about the latest planned hype here: Dedicated TV Channel On Malaysian Astronaut In Space Proposed
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Malaysia Sends Cell, Bacteria And Protein Into Space

Malaysia will not only be sending astronauts but also cancer cells, bacteria and protein for research in space, said Director-General of National Space Agency (Angkasa) Professor Datuk Dr Mazlan Othman.

She added the two cell types are liver cancer cells and leukaemia cancer cells and two types of bacteria (microbes) -- Helicobacter Pylori and Acinetobacter Baumanii.

In addition, protein crystalisation of Thermostable Lipase and Cold Active Lipase will also be done in space.

"This research mission will be given to our two astronauts Dr Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor and Kapten Dr Faiz Khaleed," she told reporters at Universiti Kebangsaan Hospital Malaysia (HUKM) here Friday.

The Malaysian astronauts will undergo a research and development programme (R&D) at the International Space Station (ISS) some 402.34 km from earth for ten days.

Only one of them will be chosen to join the Russian spaceship Soyuz to ISIS.

They are currently undergoing 12 months training at the Yuri Gagarin Space Training Centre at Star City in Moscow since Oct 9.

Sheikh Muszaphar and Dr Faiz returned home on Dec 30 to celebrate Aidiladha after being given leave by the Russian Federation Space Agency (Roskosmos).

Dr Mazlan said Malaysian scientists will send the cell and bacteria to the launching centre to be placed into the Soyuz rocket that will take the Malaysian astronaut into space.

The Malaysian scientists involved in the project are Director of Molecule Medical Institute (UMBI), UKM Professor Dr Abdul Rahman Abdul Jamal, Fellow UMBI, Professor Dr Ramelah Mohamed and Professor Dr Raja Noor Zaliha Raja Abd Rahman from the Biotechnology and Biomolecular Science Faculty of Universiti Putra Malaysia. (Bernama)

****** And to think that some of us were worried that one of our spacenauts was going to make a fool of himself by playing batu seremban and making teh tarik in space. As you now know it is a space mission with bona fide experiments which will add to our pool of scientific knowledge and data. Thank goodness for that.
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