MALAYSIA COSMONAUT - SPACE TOURIST

pisces8 SG

An article by PSM -

TAKING US FOR A RIDE IN SPACE !

How would the space mission solve our problems?

Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) is amused by the fanatical atmosphere and the publicity generated on the launch of the first Malaysian to space. It is yet another desperate move by the ruling party to beat up the drums on this space mission after the 50 years Merdeka celebration fizzled out and when people came back to reality. Now it is a space fantasy which is taking us on another ride of the Malaysian Boleh trip.

The reality is Malaysia exchanged palm oil for a space trip. In October 2003, the Malaysian Government signed an agreement with Russia where Russia will buy RM1.1 million worth of palm oil and send a Malaysian into space as part of a multi-billion-ringgit deal for 18 Sukhoi 30-MKM fighter jets.

Besides that Capitalism has taken science to yet another new dimension with the introduction of space tourism. Space tourism is a new phenomenon of filthy rich individuals and private companies paying to go to space. The price for a flight brokered by Space Adventures to the International Space Station aboard a Soyuz spacecraft is now $30 million. Flights are fully booked until 2009. Among some of the people who have gone to space since Dennis Tito became the first "fee-paying" passenger in 2001 are South African computer millionaire Mark Shuttleworth and Gregory Olsen an owner of a company which produces specialist high-sensitivity cameras.

According to Alexei Krasnov, head of the Russian space agency's manned programs said that four space tourists have paid about $20 million for the pleasure of spending a week on the orbital station and said that each tourist flight deal is discussed individually and is considered a commercial secret.
The latest space tourist, Anousheh Ansari, 40, an Iranian-born American
businesswoman, returned to Earth after paying around $20 million for about eight days in space.

The Malaysian Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor (SMS) is the latest of the list of
space tourist.

While the Malaysians are kept busy with news on roticanai in space and
fasting in space which are seen as new breakthroughs in science, the truth is before this Malaysian, more than 400 people have traveled to space not including many monkeys, chimpanzees, mice, frogs, tortoise, fish and dogs. Many of them have sacrificed or being sacrificed in many missions.

The question before us is how this mission is going to resolve our problems in planet earth. PSM seeks answers on how can a space mission, worth billion of ringgit resolve the following problems faced by the nation :

1. Increasing Ethnic and racial disharmony

2. Increasing income gap of the rich and poor

3. Increasing corruption at all levels

4. Suppression of democratic rights free and fair election, rights to assemble, expression and association, free media and others.

5. Increasing suffering incurred by the people with the rising of basic goods, fuel prices and controlled items.

6. The suffering incurred with the introduction of privatization and neo-liberal policies such as privatization of the health care, water and other basic amenities.

7. The suppression of workers through pro employer bills while workers are denied a basic living wage.

8. The continues decline of the Judiciary

Millions of ringgit is spent and wasted to send one person to space while the money could have been put in good use to improve the livelihood of the common people. While the ruling party points us to the star and takes us for a ride in space, this mission is just an ego trip by a Government which has lost its purpose and sense on what needs to be done for the betterment of the people.

monoslayer SG

r the food in space halal-certified? Laughing

kramnave SG

ANALYSIS BY AZMI SHAROM

The Star

YOU might not know this, but there have been a lot of unhappy rumblings in Malaysian society regarding our space programme.

Actually, that is not accurate. We dont really have a space programme, do we? After all, its not like we are pushing the technological frontiers and designing cutting-edge manned spacecraft.

No, to be more precise, we have an astronaut-training programme. Whoa, whoa, that is not true either. We didnt train anyone; we paid the Russians to train our astronaut.

Oh, blow it all. That is still wrong. He is not an astronaut; he is a cosmonaut. The terms, according to Nasa, mean different things but, according to the Russians (and us), they mean the same thing.

Oh, this is all so confusing. All right, all right, let us start over again.

You might not know this, but there have been a lot of unhappy rumblings in Malaysian society regarding our paying the Russians buckets of money the amount of which the Malaysian public is not 100% sure about to train a bloke to be a spaceman (as accurate a definition I can think of, because he is a man and he is in space).

Yes, it is true. This wonderful achievement of the country to find a handsome, clean-cut, healthy, intelligent fellow and pay someone else to get him into space is being sneered at in some cynical quarters.

If you happen to be one of those people, I say to you: tsk, tsk, tsk. Where is your sense of patriotism? Where is your child-like optimism?

Going into space is a big deal. Just ask Dennis Tito and Mark Shuttleworth, two space tourists who did not have the luxury of buying Russian jet fighters to contra the costs of their cosmic flights. Coincidentally, one of the nasty things people are calling our Malaysian spaceman is space tourist.

For your information, unlike the two gentlemen mentioned above, our spaceman is not a tourist. No, no, no. He is going to do experiments, important experiments.

Apart from important experiments, he is going to be doing so much good in other ways. For example, he has opened the doors of opportunity for ordinary Malaysians. One of these days, I might go to space. To conduct experiments.

Dont laugh because it is possible, for if the good doctor has proven anything, it is that if the Government is willing to spend a bit of money, anyone can go to space. Kind of like a galactic AirAsia.

Let us not forget all those little schoolchildren who are being inspired as you read this. They are going to know that Malaysia Boleh.

We can do all sorts of things. We are now a space power!

The next time their school computer lab collapses, or their teachers get demoralised due to poor pay, they can tell themselves that it all does not matter because we are a space power!

Last but not least, the spaceman is going to land on earth brimming with new scientific know-how. I am sure he will be able to use this newfound knowledge to help the country.

There is a great deal of high-tech equipment around that keeps malfunctioning. The traffic lights on Jalan Universiti, Kuala Lumpur, used to have a countdown, but it doesnt work now.

And all that experience with space station to earth video conferencing will come in mighty useful in Dataran Merdeka, where the super high-tech giant TV screen broke down just when eager patriotic Malaysians gathered to watch the Soyuz rocket blast off.

So, all you naysayer types are very wrong and misguided. You should be like me and embrace our spaceman programme. Sit back and think of the glory that is Malaysia the Space Power while you unwrap a Raya ketupat.

Wait a minute; that is a great idea for a space experiment. How does unwrapping Raya ketupats fare in zero gravity??

Dr Azmi Sharom is an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Law, University of Malaya.

ispyyy SG

another dream

pisces8 SG

Malaysias first man in space had returned to earth safely on 21 Oct 07 at 6.60pm. Dr Muszaphar had set off for the orbiting International Space Station (ISS) on Oct 10.

DPM Najib Tun Rajak described it as a momentous event in Malysian history. As a nation we feel proud and can stand a few inches taller as we now have the first Malaysian in space.

Science and Technology Minister Jamaluddin Jarjis now hopes to have Oct 10 declared as Astronauts Day.

Rock^Star SG

There is something fundamentally very wrong with the Malay mentality anyway.

Pion SG

BBC reported the malaysian as a space explorer.

This reminds me of the following joke.

Americans - Astronaut
Russians - Cosmonaut
Chinese - Taikonaut

Others - CanOrNot

mhcampboy SG

Malaysia the Space Power

hmmm do they realise.. they only tumpang the space shuttle..?

if i tumpang a mercedes.. should i say.. i own mercedes cars?

pisces8 SG

If you tumpang a Soyuz, you are a Cosmonaut.

If you tumpang a mercedes, you are a Towkay.

pisces8 SG

Yes, the space food is halal-certified. But the water he drank is recycled, which is contributed from every body in the ISS. Laughing