Our place of history in space

In slightly more than 24 hours, our first man in space will be shot to the orbits in the 50-metre Soyuz rocket from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

Dr Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor, a doctor and part-time model, will represent our entire hope and aspirations to become a leading nation of space technology.

Our spaceman will be conducting scientific experiments such as seeing how cancer cells respond to treatment in weightless conditions.

Surely some other proper researcher would have done this in the past but then, hey, this will be the first time it’s done by a Malaysian/Muslim astronaut.

Never mind the fact that his choice to go to space was more akin to choosing a TV talent time idol. Never mind the fact that he is going to space as part of a multi-billion dollar arms deal with the Russians.

Never mind the fact that he has not done any proper clinical research on cancer while he was still a ‘normal’ Malaysian.

What is important is that we, Malaysia, have an astronaut. Or cosmonaut as the Russians are saying. Or even space flight participant as the Americans call him.