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Malaysian Astronauts Say No Marriage Till After Mission
Kuala Lumpur (AFP) Sep 22, 2006 Malaysia's first astronaut and his back-up have said neither will marry a partner until after the country's first space mission has been completed in 2008, state media said Friday. Astronaut Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor, a 34-year-old doctor and his back-up, army dentist Faiz Khaleed, 26, said that shunning nuptials would help keep their minds on the mission. "At least we can focus on our mission because what we are doing now is for the country," Sheikh Muszaphar was quoted as saying by the state Bernama news agency. Sheikh Muszaphar, whose good looks have also landed him modelling jobs, said he had a sweetheart but she understood the demands of the mission. Science and Technology Minister Jamaluddin Jarjis said during the week both men had signed contracts which forbade them to tie the knot until 2008, well after the blast-off date in September next year. "It is to ensure that we focus on the programme. It is quite good that it is one of the clauses in the contract," said Faiz, who declined to reveal if he had plans to get married in the near future. Sheikh Muszaphar earlier this month was announced as the winner of a nationwide hunt to be Malaysia's first astronaut, a contest which drew tens of thousands of hopefuls. He will blast off on a Russian Soyuz spacecraft and visit the International Space Station in September 2007. The project was conceived in 2003 when Russia agreed to send a Malaysian to the space station as part of a billion-dollar purchase of 18 Sukhoi 30-MKM fighter jets.
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Ansari Savoring Every Moment In Orbit
Washington (AFP) Sep 22, 2006The world's first female space tourist, American national Anousheh Ansari, said she is savoring every bit of her time at the Space Station, despite the trip's hefty price tag. Ansari, 40, told reporters she has no regrets at a press conference broadcast from the International Space Station, responding to a reporter's question about the more than 20 million dollars she reportedly paid for the eight-day space tour. |
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