“Each time I look out and see Earth way down below, I get goosebumps. Earth is so small, yet people fight and kill.”
A sad smile formed on that well-known face.
“I could also see Earth’s pollution from space.”
“It is a little tricky, what with my commitment to MOSTI (Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation) and the National Space Agency,” he said. I met him at a book store and he was in a dark Mao-collared jacket and pants.
He was there to talk about the book his younger brother, Sheikh Mustapha Shukor (fondly known as Ajil), wrote before his fateful death on Oct 27 last year after a fall. The book is called Reaching for The Stars.
“He must have started it (the book) around the time I first left for Russia, in October of 2006. I had no idea he was writing it. After his death, we found a soft copy of the manuscript on his laptop in his bedroom,” said Muszaphar, a twinge of pain crossing his face.
The book is about Muszaphar’s journey in becoming an astronaut. It chronicled him being shortlisted, trained, chosen and finally, Ajil’s point of view of his brother’s take-off, journey to and return from space.
Alas, Ajil never got to ask the question at the end of the book about praying in space. He died just five days after his older brother landed back on Earth.
Ajil, the fourth of five siblings, was three years younger than Muszaphar.
Although all five brothers are close, Muszaphar and Ajil really bonded when they went to India to study medicine.
“We were there for close to three years,” recalled Muszaphar.
“While there (in India), the struggle with studies and life in general brought us closer. He (Ajil) would do anything for me,” Muszaphar said.
Ajil’s two young children have a father figure in Muszaphar.
“I will take care of them (the children). The sales from this book goes into their tertiary education fund.”
Muszaphar added: “I never knew or even guessed just how much Ajil looked up to me.”
The realisation came when he saw in Ajil’s room the four walls filled with clippings, photos and news about Muszaphar.
The book is testament to Ajil’s admiration for all that his older brother had actualised.
“I wished I had the chance to tell him that I couldn’t have done it without his faith in my abilities. That we did it all together.” he said.
In many ways, all Muszaphar wanted was to make a difference.
“Especially with children through education. They’ve always been my focus. My having been in space makes the idea of going there somewhat accessible to them. It is not just something to dream about any longer.”
Any thought of stepping into the political arena?
“Funny thing is, I am reading a lot about politics right now. I have an incredible interest in it. To answer your question, well, if it is a way to make a change and create a better place for children, then why not?”
What happens now? What is next for Muszaphar?
He has been launched into space, has handled medical disorders of the human skeletal system and, in his younger years, appeared in numerous television commercials.
“I have two other passions,” he replied slowly, with a shy smile. “I’d like to be a pilot by 2013.”
Why 2013? “Because that is the deadline I have given myself. It can’t be earlier, what with all that is happening currently in my life.”
What’s his second passion?
“To work as a doctor in Africa.”
Is there any wonder why Ajil was such a fan?
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