So our first so-called astronaut, Dr. Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor, has travelled to orbit and spent some time in the ISS space. The scene that could be the laughing stock of some local intellects was when they showed the spacecraft lift off, obvious in the video footage that Dr. Sheikh wasn’t really doing anything much. He was sitting there wrapping his arms around himself. Some argue that our so-called astronaut actually does nothing up there… and not even qualified to be called astronaut. That’s not true. It depends on the definition of astronaut.
In Webter’s dictionary specialty definition for an astronaut, Aerospace definition 1 says that astronaut is a person who rides in a space vehicle. Definition 2 continues with, specifically, one of the test pilots selected to participate in programs for manned space flights (from various Aerospace dictionary).
So by definition Aerospace 1, Dr. Sheikh is an astronaut but not by definition Aerospace 2.
In the same dictionary, but in Transportation terms, an astronaut is a member of the crew of a manned spacecraft, authorized to control spacecraft (source: EU).
So by the transportation definition outlined by the European standard, Dr. Sheikh is clearly not an astronaut.
Wiki online encyclopedia says that an astronaut, cosmonaut or taikonaut, is a person who travels into space (Dr. Sheikh qualifies then), or who makes a career of doing so (Dr. Sheikh does not really qualify this I’d think). The criteria really varies. The US standard says if you go higher than 50 miles up, you’re a space traveller. FIA defines spaceflight as over 100km. So, some define the term based on the physical whereabouts and some define it by the role that the person is carrying. The flight commander for the journey back to surface was Feodor Yuchikin. The engineer was Oleg Kotov. So, the role of Dr. Sheikh is… ?
According to the BBC, Dr Sheikh’s visit to the station was agreed as part of Malaysia’s billion dollar purchase of Russian-made jets. So any bloke with tons of money can go up to space then, right? Furthermore, according to the some of the definitions that Dr. Sheikh qualifies for, any person who was kidnapped and brought into space is an astronaut. It fulfills the definition, “a person who travels in space”, doesn’t it? Why are trying to make believe that Malaysians can do all? I don’t know. Some people think differently. That we did put a man on space. But how? By means of money, transaction, and not intellect?
Maybe the space trip was just a bonus from the billion dollar jets we procured. Killing a few birds with one stone. That’s our main objective actually – to beef up our defense. Spend a lot of money of tanks and submarines. Take it out from the petrol subsidy so that the people can be strong on their own to afford the consumption, but protect them with tanks, submarines and jets. We’re so 1940s & 1950’s minded. It’s not that kind of war anymore. The war is in our mind. It’s in the economy and intellect. I don’t know. Maybe it’s not that simple.
Let’s spend the money on where they need to be first. Or at least prioritize. We spent a billion for 1 human capital (modal insan), whereas we could have spent only a few of those millions and beef up the compensation for teachers, so teachers can focus on their main function rather than starting up part-time tuition centers or boutique deals to keep up with the economy. The real investment is in our kids. Their well-being. Their intellects. Not tanks or submarines.
Disclaimer: the content above is abstracted from my personal opinion only and not to be deemed as a legal statement for any professional conduct whatsoever.
