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September 19, 2006

Kazakhstan: Is It A Bird, Is It A Plane, Or Is It A Muslim Woman In Orbit?

Yesterday, at Star City, Baikonur in Kazakhstan, a Russian Soyuz TMA-9 rocket, powered by 270 tonnes of low-temperature oxygen and kerosene fuel, blasted off into space, taking with it a remarkable passenger among its crew. 40-year old Anouseh Ansari has enthused about space since she was a child in Iran. Born in the northern Iranian city of Mashhad on September 12, 1966, her parents appreciated her love of all things astronomical and scientific. When the Iranian Revolution came in 1979, they knew their daughter would be deprived of an education her intelligence deserved, and the family fled Iran in 1984.

In her new home in the United States, Anouseh studied hard. When she first arrived she could only speak Farsi and French. She went on to gain a Bachelor's degree in electronics and computer engineering at George Mason University, Virginia, and then a Masters degree in engineering from the same university. She then went on to become a highly successful entrepreneur in telecommunications. By the time she was 35, she featured in Fortune magazine's list of the 40 most wealthy citizens.

She is currently bound for the International Space Station (ISS) with her other fellow astronauts, Michael Lopez-Alegria from the US and Mikhail Tyurin. The Soyuz craft will dock with the space station tomorrow. Lopez-Alegria and Tyurin will remain on the ISS for six months, but Anouseh will stay for only eight days. She will return with the crew currently on board the station, Russia's Pavel Vinogradov and American Jeffrey Williams. There is currently a bad smell on the ISS waiting for her arrival, which has caused the two current occupants to wear oxygen masks.

Statistically, Anouseh Ansari will be the fourth "space tourist", even though she complains that tourists do not have to undergo the rigorous training she has undergone at the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center. She said: "I've been training for it for six months. I think if it is to be compared to an experiment or an experience on Earth it probably is closer to expeditions like people who go to Antarctica or people who climb Mount Everest. I mean that requires a lot more preparation, thinking, and studying or appreciation of the environment. So I would probably compare it more to an expedition than I would to a touristy trip to another city."

Other "space tourists" have been Denis Tito in 2001, Mark Shuttleworth in 2002 and Greg Olsen in 2005.

Her company, Prodea Systems, which she co-founded, and chairs, is funding the operation. Her trip has been organised by Space Adventures.

In the manner of Yuri Gagarin, Anouseh and her fellow cosmonauts carved their initials into a door at the training center before leaving on the flight. Her family were ecstatic. Fakhri Shahidi, her mother, said: "It's hard to believe my daughter is going to space. I pray with all my heart she's coming back soon." Atousa Raissyan, Anouseh's sister, said: "Pure joy! I'm just so happy for her - beyond words."

Her husband Hamid whom she met at work, said: "I feel relieved she's up there. The anticipation is over. It's the beginning of a new chapter in her life. I can't wait to see her come back."

Bizarrely, she was told to remove the Iranian flag from her suit. She has carried both the Stars and Stripes and the Iranian emblem throughout her training, but she says she has another Iranian flag in her bag. She has been warned not to make any political statements while on board the ISS.

Once inside the ISS, she intends to write for for her blogsite from space. She is very popular in Iran, and her site has many letters of support from well-wishers. She intends to shoot a film in space of her experiences, but there is work for her to complete as well. She will be carrying out medical and biological experiments for the European Space Agency.

She was behind the Ansari-X Foundation, which promotes projects to make space accessible for the wider public, and has awarded its first prize to Mojave Aerospace Ventures in 2004 for launching a reusable spacecraft twice in two weeks..

And before we forget, she will be not only the first woman "space tourist", but she will also be the first Muslim space tourist. In fact, she is the first Muslim woman in space. But she is not the first Muslim in space. That award went to Saudi Arabia's prince Sultan bin Salman, who in 1985 went on board the space shuttle Discovery, along with six U.S. and French colleagues.

We hope she enjoys the journey and returns safely. She is due back on September 29.

Sources/more info: Times, The Register, Monsters & Critics, Khaleej Times, New Scientist Space, Yahoo, Space.com, BBC, Seattle Pi, Belfast Telegraph and CNN.

Even though Anouseh is described as a "Muslim", she appears to be a nominal Muslim and not too bothered about which way to point her body when she is engaged in space-based prayers. But the issue of finding the "qibla" or direction of Mecca is still troubling Muslim scholars.

Next year, a Malaysian Muslim will be going into space. So far two Malaysians are vying against each other to be awarded the role of astronaut. Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor, aged 34, and Faiz Khaleed, aged 26, are soon to go to Russia to undergo nearly a year of preparations before their flight. Only one will go. They were selected from 1,000 candidates.

According to AKI clerics in the holy city of Qom in Iran are still debating how the direction of Mecca can be obtained. The Iranian website Arya also acknowledges that working out the time of prayers may prove a headache as prayer times on earth are based on the sun's position. Additionally the ability to wash before prayers will cause problems.

The clerics have one year to decide on how to resolve these pressing issues. In September 2007, a Russian Soyuz 2 will take one of the Malaysians to the ISS.

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at September 19, 2006 10:01 AM

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Posted by: Funk Soul Bruhva at September 19, 2006 11:01 PM

Posted by: Giraldus Cambrensis at September 20, 2006 7:34 AM

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