Second astronaut programme should not be popularity, glamour, Mazlan Othman says

SHAH ALAM - Tan Sri Dr Mazlan Othman who pioneered Malaysia's participation in space exploration said there should be proper justification if the country wants a second space exploration mission after its first programme in 2007.

The former Malaysian Space Agency (Angkasa) director said: "it is useless if we want to do that just to repeat what has been done by Datuk Dr Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor in 2007."

The Academy of Sciences Malaysia (ASM) Senior Fellow Professor added some may want to do it for the sake of popularity,

"The programme needs to be extended if there is a good rationale behind it because after the first astronaut programme was launched, everyone simply wants to launch the second astronaut programme.

“When I asked what the second astronaut will be doing and what they are seeking, no one had the answer.

“They want to glamorously sit on the International Space Station (ISS) for six months, but they don't understand that we can't do that because we work together with others,” she said during an interview Tan Sri Johan Jaafar at Kompleks Kumpulan Karangkraf on Wednesday.

When asked what would be her justification be to continue the programme, Mazlan said it should be done to expand research, and knowledge.

“Astronomy is the oldest science because we have an instinctive, cultural, religious connection to space.

“We have to pursue astronomical science as pure science, but if we look at National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), statistics show for every USD1 they invested, they will get back USD22.

“As a result from several space explorations, we now have GPS, cell phones, not a single thing we do every day does not involve space,” she added.

In 2007, she was one of the main person to send the first Malaysian to space.