The Soyuz TM32 spacecraft blasts off from the launch pad at the cosmodrome Baikonur in Kazakhstan, Saturday, Apr. 28, 2001
Malaysia's choice of astronaut will blast off with a Russian team in 2007
A two-day conference on Islam and life in space is under way in Malaysia, in a bid to answer questions faced by would-be Muslim astronauts.
Malaysia is due to send an astronaut into space with the Russians next year.
The country's first spaceman is almost certain to be a Muslim, which raises a number of practical issues.
For instance, Muslims wash before they pray but not only is water a precious commodity in space, but it is also impractical in weightlessness.
Likewise, the faithful face Mecca. However, that will mean pin-pointing a moving location while in zero gravity.
And Muslim prayer times are linked to those of the sunrise and sunset, but in orbit the sun appears to rise and set more than a dozen times a day.
Serious discussion
Malaysia's science ministry has called together a group of experts to thrash out these and other questions.
It is being billed as the first-ever serious discussion of the issues.
It is in keeping with the Malaysian government's mission to promote what it calls Islam Hadhari, or civilisational Islam, which encourages Muslims to embrace
education, science and technology.
It will doubtless be hoping that a conference of Muslim scientists and scholars debating such cutting edge issues will not go unnoticed in the rest of the
Islamic world.
Re: Malaysia considers Islam in space - By Jonathan Kent
format_quote Originally Posted by babagrr
It will doubtless be hoping that a conference of Muslim scientists and scholars debating such cutting edge issues will not go unnoticed in the rest of the Islamic world.
Re: Malaysia considers Islam in space - By Jonathan Kent
How do Muslim astronauts pray and fast in space?
KUALA LUMPUR, April 19 (Bernama) -- How will Malaysian astronauts pray and fast in space if the candidates selected are Muslims? How will they take ablution, determine prayer times and the kiblah, and then pray and fast? These questions will be answered in a two-day Seminar on Islam and Life in Space hosted by the National Space Agency (Angkasa) from next Tuesday (25 April 2006).
Angkasa Director-General Prof Datuk Dr Mazlan Othman said early preparations were important because three of the four candidates to be selected as the country's first astronauts were Muslims. Angkasa was not able to give the answers and therefore, about 150 people comprising scientists, astronauts from Spain, religious scholars, academicians and professionals were expected to discuss the questions at the seminar, she said.
Russia will train two Malaysian astronauts including a reserve and send one to participate in the expedition of its spaceship to the International Space Station (ISS) in October next year. The programme is being realised under a reciprocal deal between the Malaysian and Russian governments for the purchase of Sukhoi SU-30MKM jet fighters by Malaysia.
Dr Mazlan said the ISS would circle the earth 16 times in 24 hours (which means there will be 16 daylights and 16 nights within 24 hours) and under the circumstances, it would affect Muslim astronauts in performing their prayers and so on. As water would be rationed while in space, the need to wash up and take ablution should also be discussed, she said.
"So far, Angkasa has not discussed these matters with Russia because the candidates have not been decided and the needs of Malaysian astronauts have not been determined by Russia," she said. Dr Mazlan said the question of the diet of Muslim astronauts would also be discussed at the seminar as the food prepared by Russia was according to its own standard. "Therefore, we have to make preparations to discuss with Russia when the time comes," she said.
Malaysian Astronomy and Islamic Law Association vice-president Syed Kamarulzaman Syed Kabeer, who is chairman of the seminar's coordinating committee, said this would be the first time the Islamic world would discuss the question of living in space even though there were already three or four Muslim astronauts. Dr Mazlan said Muslim astronauts from Saudi Arabia and Russia could not attend the seminar.
She said four candidates for selection to be the country's first astronaut would leave for Russia by end of this month to undergo medical tests for two weeks before the names of two astronauts were announced by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi on May 23. The four are Dr Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor, 34, (medical doctor); Dr Faiz Khaleed, 26, (dentist); S. Vanajah, 35, (engineer) and Mohammed Faiz Kamaluddin, 34, (pilot). Currently, they are undergoing physical and technical training.
Re: Malaysia considers Islam in space - By Jonathan Kent
format_quote Originally Posted by north_malaysian
Before they were talking about bringing roti canai and teh tarik to the space - what a joke!!!
One problem with Submarines, and hence Spacecraft, is that strong spices have to be banned. They get into the air filtration systems and can't be got rid of. In the old days they did not even let Submariners take onions on board - how on Earth are the Russians going to cope with Malaysian food?
Le coeur a ses raisons, que la raison ne connait pas. - Blaise Pascal
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