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Kuala Lumpur (XNA) Oct 22, 2007 Malaysia's first astronaut Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor, who is scheduled to return to earth on Sunday, will be commissioned as a cosmonaut along with another astronaut candidate Faiz Khaleed, Science, Technology and Innovations Minister Auk Seri Dr Jamaludin Jarjis was quoted by local media as saying on Friday. The commissioning ceremony would take place in Russia two weeks after Sheikh Muszaphar's return as he has to be quarantined for one week after touchdown on Earth, said Jamaludin at an Aidilfitri open house hosted by him in Rompin, central state of Pahang, on Thursday night. Jamaludin hoped that with the recognition Sheikh Muszaphar's credibility as an astronaut would no longer be questioned as certain quarters regarded him as merely a space flight tourist, Malaysian national news agency Bernama reported. The ministry would also collaborate with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) of the United States on astronaut and space science training to avoid such issues from arising (status of Malaysia going to space), he said. Jamaludin said that he would be holding discussions with NASA next month for permission to have Faiz join the agency's training programs. NASA, which also assisted in the training for Sheikh Muszaphar, is helping Malaysia obtain live television feeds of Sheikh Muszaphar at the International Space Station (ISS). The national space program had made a major impact in Malaysia as it had generated a "space fever" among the people, especially the younger generation, Jamaludin said. The program could set a paradigm shift among them to love mathematics and science and that the ministry hoped to get Cabinet approval to create a Space Division to develop more space programs for Malaysia, he said. He said he had in mind that Sheikh Muszaphar, Faiz as well as National Space Program director Kol Dr Zulkeffeli Mat Jusoh could drive it. "But we have to discuss with them and their employers first," he added.
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First Stop Moon. Next Stop, Mars
Vienna, Austria (SPX) Oct 19, 2007The distant red planet Mars has captured the imagination of humankind for generations. It has inspired novelists to write stories about its exploration and motivated scientists to find ways to make space travel there a viable possibility. Now, for the first time in Europe, scholars such as historians, philosophers and sociologists are banding together with space scientists to share their thoughts and ideas on how humankind will be taking these first steps.
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