Hasil eksperimen dalam jurnal

KOTA BHARU 26 Jan. – Hasil eksperimen yang dijalankan oleh angkasawan negara, Dr. Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor Sheikh Mustapha di Stesen Angkasa Antarabangsa (ISS) akan diterbitkan dalam jurnal antarabangsa.

Sheikh Muszaphar berkata, pada masa ini perkembangan semua eksperimen itu amat memuaskan dengan sel-sel kajian berkembang dengan baik dan hasilnya akan diperoleh dalam tempoh dua bulan.

“Kita telah mengadakan perbincangan dengan pakar dan saintis seperti dari Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Universiti Putra Malaysia dan Universiti Teknologi Mara, hasilnya akan dikongsi seluruh dunia,” katanya.

Beliau berkata demikian kepada pemberita selepas Majlis Amanat Menteri Pengajian Tinggi, Datuk Mustapa Mohamed Kepada Pelajar IPT di Kelantan dan Majlis Bersama Angkasawan Negara di sini hari ini.

Eksperimen yang dijalankan angkasawan negara melibatkan tiga komponen penting iaitu sel di angkasa, mikrob di angkasa dan penghabluran protein.

Menggunakan sepenuhnya kelebihan mikrograviti dan ruang radiasi di angkasa, penyelidikan juga akan memberikan satu bentuk keputusan yang sangat hampir kepada biologi sebenar sel, mikrob dan protein yang dikaji.

Sementara itu, majlis “Pengalaman Saya di Angkasa Lepas’ bersama Dr. Sheikh Muszaphar itu mendapat sambutan hangat apabila hampir 3,000 pelajar IPT memenuhi dewan sebuah hotel di sini bagi mendengar sendiri pengalaman beliau.

Sesi selama dua jam itu dibahagikan kepada dua segmen iaitu Sheikh Muszaphar berkongsi pengalamannya dan sesi soal jawab dengan lebih 30 wakil pelajar mengemukakan pelbagai soalan seperti hasil eksperimen sains dan pengalaman beribadat di angkasa lepas.

We need scientific minds as role models for youth

UNIVERSITI Sains Malaysia started the New Year with a bang, when our angkasawan negara descended on the campus on Jan 5. Like the space launch itself, it was a historic moment not only for USM.

About 5,000 came out in support, including about 1,500 following the event in lecture halls through close-circuit television cameras.

The face-to-face encounter with Dr Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor (SMS, for short) proved an encounter of a lifetime. For almost 11/2 hours, they were mesmerised by the detailed experiences that Dr Muszaphar shared with them, beginning with his childhood ambition to venture into space 25 years ago up to his tumultuous entry back to Earth.

Most intriguing was his version of what life in space is, something unimaginable to most people.

How did he sleep? Eat? Exercise? Answer the call of nature? How did he feel when he saw Mother Earth from space for the first time? What about the experiments he had to conduct? What were the results?
These were among the barrage of questions Dr Muszaphar had to field from students. All questions were handled with humility and, at times, a sense of humour.

Not a single one was left unanswered or put aside because it was considered trivial, including one about what the “smell” of the International Space Station (ISS). It was this that made Dr Muszaphar the hero of the day!

He was literally swarmed by the audience when he inched his way out after the event, while posing for photographs, giving autographs and even friendly advice.

Despite having hosted Nobel Laureates, celebrities and glamorous figures previously, none could match the hero’s welcome accorded to the angkasawan negara by the campus.

More interestingly, it indicated a promising future for science in particular and knowledge in general for the up and coming generation. The long-held belief that the youngsters of today are disinterested in science was for once challenged.

Thus far, there has been a dearth of activities “exposing” successful intellectual Malaysian figures. At least not the level of publicity entertainers are given. New starlets are being introduced to the public by the media frequently. But not so people like Dr Muszaphar.

Should he did not have made it as the country’s first astronaut, chances are he may have remained little known despite his very interesting experiences and achievements.

Not many know that he has spent time in Afghanistan and Cambodia. Or that he is a part-time model and co-owner of a restaurant.In short, he has diverse and vibrant interests, unlike what is happening today where many students have no time for anything else. Or discouraged to do anything else.

In fact, the person whom Dr Muszaphar regards as his mentor, Professor Datuk Mazlan Othman, should have been made better known as an intellectual icon for young aspiring science students.

We must also remember the “backroom boys” responsible for making the space programme an astounding success. They are the unsung scientific heroes who we have conveniently forgotten, believing they will not inspire others.

USM’s experience with Dr Muszaphar has categorically disproved this perception. Instead, much needs to be done to meet the demands of the inquisitive minds of young Malaysians.

Our responsibility is to give them the space and opportunities to not only find the right answers but, more importantly, ask the right questions. Only in this way can new discoveries be made and a truly knowledge-based society created.

In a nutshell, the empire of the future is the empire of the mind — a great one at that.

To Dr Sheikh Muszaphar and the like, their task remains a tremendous, if not a challenging one. One of most recent examples one must keep in mind is none other than Dr Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam, India’s 11th president from 2002 until July last year.

A versatile person, he played a leading role in the development of India’s missile programmes (see http://www.indianmuslims.info/book/export/html/12). Despite this and having held the country’s highest office, he chose to humbly do what he loves most — engage with students and teach. He is now involved in various programmes like Youth Movement for Developed India 2020.

Like Malaysia, Dr Kalam wants to transform India into a developed nation by 2020 as professed in his book Ignited Minds: Unleashing the Power Within India (2003). We can get no better example than this to emulate.

And through Dr Sheikh Muszaphar we see such a future in the making, God willing!

The writer is vice-chancellor of Universiti Sains Malaysia. He can be reached at vc@usm.com.my

Maal Hijrah celebrations

Astronaut gets award

SEREMBAN: Malaysia's first astronaut, Dr Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor Sheikh Mustapha, was chosen as the Tokoh Maal Hijrah 1429 for Negri Sembilan.

He received the award from the Yang di-Pertuan Besar Tuanku Ja'afar Tuanku Abdul Rahman at the state level Maal Hijrah celebration yesterday."I feel honoured that the state government has decided to give me the award. I would like to express my gratitude to the state government for the honour," said Dr Sheikh Muszaphar who received a RM5,000 prize, a certificate and an Umrah package.

Also present at the ceremony were the Tuanku Ampuan Negri Sembilan Tuanku Najihah and Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan.Dr Sheikh Muszaphar said he would continue with his efforts to meet the nation's youths in order to inspire them to be interested in science and astronomy.

"The space programme showed that we can compete in the global platform. In the meetings that I have had with our youth, a lot of them have voiced their interest to be involved in science and technology."

His parents, Datuk Sheikh Mustapha Abdul Shukor and Datin Zuraida Sheikh Ahmad, were also present at the event.

The state government also presented a special award to Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia physics professor, Dr Roslan Abd Shukor. He received a RM5,000 prize and a robe.Roslan is a Fellow of London's Institute of Physics since 2004 and a Fellow of the Malaysian Science Academy since last year.

He also sits on the advisory board of the Superconductor Science and Technology, a journal published by the Institute of Physics.

Astronaut to publish brother's book

GEORGE TOWN: Malaysia's first astronaut, Dr Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor Sheikh Mustapha, was hoping to write a book about his space adventures.

But, unbeknown to him, his late brother, Sheikh Mustafa Shukor Al Masrie, had beaten him to it. Sheikh Mustafa, who died on Oct 27 last year after a fall, had written a book on his brother becoming an astronaut.

Dr Sheikh Muszaphar now plans to publish the book as a tribute to Sheikh Mustafa.

"I would like to do this as a tribute to my brother and that is why his book is coming out first," Dr Sheikh Muszaphar said at a press conference yesterday, adding that the book would be launched next month.He said it was his brother who had encouraged him to become an astronaut.

His own book, Dr Sheikh Muszaphar said, would be launched in July and would revolve around the training he went through and his experiences.

He had earlier attended a forum organised by Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) where he shared his experiences during his 12-day mission on the International Space Station (ISS).

Dr Sheikh Muszaphar, who was greeted by a 3,000-strong crowd when he entered the Dewan Tuanku Syed Putra, held the attention of all present with anecdotes of his life and the time he spent in space.

He said there was an "open house" during Hari Raya Aidilfitri where all the crew aboard the ISS gathered and shared food."I also brought some Hari Raya music like Seribu Bintang by the Alleycats and Balik Kampung by Sudirman to share with the other astronauts," he said.

During the question-and-answer session, he was queried on a variety of topics ranging from how he coped with going to toilet in space to more serious ones like his thoughts on Malaysia's decision to buy the Soyuz rocket.Dr Sheikh Muszaphar urged students to take up aerospace-related fields of study so that Malaysia could build its own rocket by 2020.

"We have to start somewhere and I am confident that with many experts in the field we can have our own rocket by 2020."

Meanwhile, USM vice-chancellor Professor Datuk Dzulkifli Abdul Razak said there was a need to nurture more intellectuals and scientists as role models.

"I never get such a crowd when a scientist comes to USM. We need more people like Dr Sheikh Muszaphar if we want to go to space and to the next level."