Latest update- our astronaut

Latest info dug from Kickdefella blogs about our astronaut, just to share the truth and I think its funny then but we need to appreciate what our government was done to have an 'astronaut' actually.

I post 2 questions to “someone in the know”, first, is it true that Dr Sheikh has officially been selected before 23rd July 2007 and second, is it true that he is merely a Space Tourist and not Angkasawan.

This is the replied that I got, “He was the first choice but confirmation only after Russian Medical Board made their assessment. PM only confirm on behalf of Malaysian. Russian recognised (Dr. Sheikh) as cosmonaut. By strict definition, memang out”.

So, I put to you that when our Prime Minister made the announcement early in September, he has lied to all Malaysian.“Malaysia on Monday unveiled its first astronaut, a 34-year-old doctor who will blast off on a Russian Soyuz spacecraft and visit the International Space Station in September 2007.

Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor was the winner of a nationwide hunt which drew tens of thousands of hopefuls. Army dentist Faiz Khaleed, 26, was chosen as the back-up astronaut, or “angkasawan” as they are known in the Malay language.

“I pray to God that he will ensure the success of your mission and raise the profile of Malaysia in the international arena,” Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said at a ceremony to announce the winning candidates (more)”.

Prime Minister announced that Dr. Sheikh as first Malaysian Astronaut but he is not qualified to be consider as one. He is qualified as Cosmonaut and that is only after huge sum of money being agreed to the Russian.

So, Dr. Sheikh as a space tourist should then be allowed to play congkat in space after all. He should be allowed to eat rendang and ketupat. He should be allowed to do what tourist did.
No wonder, Dr. Mazlan from Pusat Sains Negara has all sorts of weird and not so serious things that she wanted our Angkasawan to perform in the outer space. After all, we only spent few billion Ringgit of taxpayer money to purchase the Russian made aircraft so we can send someone to tour the space.

Bravo, that is truly Malaysia Boleh!

Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor-Astronaut or spaceflight participant?

The Expedition 16 crew members pose for a portrait at the Johnson Space Center. From the left (front row) are Russia's Federal Space Agency cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko, flight engineer and Soyuz commander; astronaut Peggy Whitson, commander; and Malaysian spaceflight participant Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor. From the left (back row) are European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Léopold Eyharts, astronaut Garrett Reisman and astronaut Dan Tani, all flight engineers. Source : NASA

It's suffice if I say that we do not produced a true astronaut yet, NASA only called our astronaut as Malaysian spaceflight participant, so what that meant? Why NASA call him as spaceflight participant, and at Malaysia, in newspapers or on our mainstream television stations are busy to show an advertisement about we will have an astronaut in next two weeks (assumed our first astronaut will launch on October 10). The truth, its only like a present from Russian company to rejoice of 18 fighter jets, Sukhoi 30-MKM sold to Government of Malaysia, estimated around RM3.4 bilion. Everyone have an oppurtunity to travel to space, if you have a lot of money and good health, physical and mental, at a tag prices of AS 20 millions. A few person were celebrated as spaceflight participants are Dennis Tito ,Mark Shuttleworth , Greg Olsen and Anousheh Ansari.

Anyway, we could wish all the best to our first astronaut, the first citizen of Malaysian who will landing on ISS and hopefully come to earth in full motivations and could draw a new history in next decades, success to launch our own astronout with MAS spaceship to ISS.

As reference, China was successfully sent a man into the first time in 2003, plans to launch its own moon probe before the end of the year, followed by India in the first half of 2008. Japan kick-started the Asian lunar race on September 14, when it successfully launch its first lunar orbiter. While China and India have raised the possibility of a manned lunar mission within the next decade.