Angkasawan program

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The Angkasawan program is an initiative by the Malaysian government to send a Malaysian to the International Space Station on board Soyuz TMA-11. Angkasawan is the Malay word for 'astronaut'.

This program has both scientific and technological objectives, but is also conceived as inspirational.

1 Background
2 Selection
3 Planned Agenda
4 Criticism
5 References
6 External links

[edit] Background

This program was officially announce by the former Prime Minister of Malaysia, Tun. Dr. Mahathir Mohhamad as a joint programme with the Russian Federation. It is a project under the government-to-government offset agreement through the purchase of deal of the Sukkhoi SU-30MKM fighter jets for the Royal Malaysian Air Force.

Under this areement the Russian Federation will bear the cost of training of two Malaysian Angkasawan (astronaut) candidate and later to send one to the International Space Station (ISS). The first Malaysian Angkasawan is expected to be send to the ISS in October 2007.

National Space Agency (ANGKASA), Ministry of Science, Technologies and Innovations have been given the responsibility of commissioning te process of selecting the national astronaut, where 2 out of 4 finalist had been chosen and now undergoing an Astronaut Training Programme in Russia for 18 months.

[edit] Selection

The four finalists were:^[1]

Siva Vanajah, 35 [1]
Mohammed Faiz Kamaluddin, 34 [2]
Faiz Khaleed, 25 [3]
Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor, 34 [4]

All four trained at Star City. Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor was selected on September 4, 2006 and will be launched on Soyuz TMA-11 and will come back with Soyuz TMA-10 after a ten-day stay on the ISS.^[2]

Shukor's back-up for the mission is Faiz Khaleed.^[3]

[edit] Planned Agenda

Scientific program of the Malaysian astronaut

#	Experiment	Code	Description
1	Cells in Space	CIS	Study of the effects of microgravity and space radiation on eukaryotic cells focusing on changes in the structure and function at the cellular and molecular levels
2	Microbes in Space	MIS	Study of the effects of microgravity on motility of bacteria, drug resistances as well as changes in gene expression (using the microarray approach). Expect to show some effects of bacterial growth using a pre-determined minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC).
3	Protein Crystallisation in Space	PCS	The purpose of this experiment is to compare the crystal growth of lipases on Earth with that grown in microgravity. Several test conditions will also be tested to improve the protein crystallisation process on Earth as well as in space.
4	Malaysian Food in Space	FIS	Increase the variety and quality of food available to Malaysian cosmonaut by identifying new food items (typical Malaysian food).
5	Study of spinning motions in microgravity environment	TOP	A physics demonstration to show the effect of microgravity on the motions of spinning object using a top.
6	PR and Symbolics	PAS	PR and Symbolics activities.

On November 15, 2006, in a response to a question in the Dewan Rakyat, Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Ministry parliamentary secretary Datuk Rohani Abdul Karim (representing the Science, Technology and Innovation Ministry) stated that the Malaysian astronaut would, "spin top and toss Batu Seremban (five-stone game) as part of an experiment during his space travel". She added, "The astronaut will also paint a batik motif and make "teh tarik" ("pulled" tea) which would be shared with his fellow astronauts."^[4].

However, on December 18, 2006, Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Datuk Seri Dr Jamaluddin Jarjis said that making teh-tarik in space would not happen. Various experiments drawn up by selected Malaysian institutes would be carried out by Sheikh Muszaphar while in zero-gravity. In the planned physics education (live class in space) portion of the spaceflight, the astronaut will also be, "demonstrating the behavior of fluids" and "observing the effects of a spinning object", to show Malaysian students on the ground the effects of zero-gravity on selected physical phenomena.^[5]

[edit] Criticism

The cost of sending a single Malaysian into space has been estimated at RM $95 million (approximately USD $26 million). The entire Malaysian space program has been criticized as a severe waste of money for a developing nation that could ill afford such indulgences by an Australian commentator who suggested that Malaysia would basically be using foreign space programs as a "taxi service" to transport its angkasawan, gaining nothing of merit.^[6]