24hoursnews - Malaysia's first astronaut will blast off into space next month armed with guidelines from Muslim authorities on how to pray, wash and even be "buried" in space.
Two Malaysian candidates, a doctor and an army dentist who are both Muslims, are undergoing training in Russia with the winner expected to be announced on Friday, ahead of the 11-day space mission which starts on October 10.
Other Muslims have ventured into space, but none during the fasting month of Ramadan which began last week, and Malaysia's Department of Islamic Development (JAKIM) is hopeful the astronaut will choose to fast during his voyage.
"Conditions at the International Space Station which are so different from those on earth are not a hindrance for the astronaut to fulfil his obligations as a Muslim," it said in a 20-page booklet.
"In difficult conditions, Islam has conveniences to ensure that religious worship can still be performed."
Because the space station circles the Earth 16 times a day, theoretically a Muslim would have to pray 80 times a day while staying there.
But the guidelines stipulate that the astronaut need only pray five times a day, just as on Earth, and that the times should follow the location where the spacecraft blasted off from -- in this case, Baikonur in Russia.
In the unlikely event the Muslim astronaut dies in space, the religious directives said his body should be brought back to Earth for the usual burial rituals. If that's not possible, he should be "interred" in Space after a brief ceremony, though the guidelines failed to explain how that should be done.
The booklet covers Islamic washing rituals required before prayer, saying that if water is not available the astronaut can symbolically "sweep holy dust" onto the face and hands "even if there is no dust" in the space station.
There are also suggestions on how to pray in a zero-gravity environment.
"During the prayer ritual, if you can't stand up straight, you can hunch. If you can't stand, you can sit. If you can't sit, you should lie down," according to the booklet.
Muslims are required to eat food that is halal, which rules out pork and its by-products, alcohol and animals not slaughtered according to Koranic procedures are forbidden -- but again in Space there is flexibility.
"If it is doubtful that the food has been prepared in the halal manner, you should eat just enough to ward off hunger," the booklet said.
JAKIM said it held a conference with the Malaysian National Space Agency last year to identify the issues and problems facing a Muslim astronaut, and compiled the results in the booklet released earlier this year.
Malaysia's would-be astronauts were chosen from thousands of hopefuls in a nationwide contest.
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.
Malaysian 'Gagarin' hopes to observe Ramadan fast in space
Malaysia's soon-to-be first astronaut Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor said on Thursday he hoped to fast aboard the International Space Station as he visits there in the holy month of Ramadan.
Muszaphar, who is expected to travel to the ISS aboard a Russian Soyuz rocket on October 10, acknowledged that following the normal prayer regime might be difficult, but said that Islam was a "lenient" religion and compatible with space travel.
"Of course if we can't do our responsibilities in space we're allowed to do it when we come back. But as a Muslim I do hope to do my responsibilities. I do hope to fast in space," he told journalists at Russia's Star City training centre outside Moscow.
"Islam is very lenient. If I can't fast in space I can always come back and do it at a later time, but I will discuss it in detail with my commander," he said.
Muszaphar, a 35-year-old doctor and part-time model, has been training at Star City for a year alongside reserve candidate Faiz Khaleed, 27.
He will visit the ISS with professional Russian cosmonaut Yury Malenchenko and American Peggy Whitson, spending nine days there before returning to Earth with the current crew.
Before the voyage, Malaysia's Department of Islamic Development issued a 20-page book of guidelines on observing Ramadan in space.
Otherwise, because the space station circles the Earth 16 times a day, a Muslim would theoretically have to pray 80 times a day.
The guidelines stipulate that the astronaut need only pray five times a day, just as on Earth, and that the times should follow the location from which the spacecraft blasted off -- in this case, the Baikonur launch pad.
Muszaphar said he had been inspired by the example of the first ever man in space, Russian Yury Gagarin, and hoped to capture the enthusiasm of other Malaysians, helped by a tele-conference and a radio link-up with students.
"I'm hoping to become like Yury Gagarin. I remember when I was a child I read a lot about him. He has inspired me so much in my life," he said.
"I do hope to become like Yury Gagarin and to spark an interest among the Malaysian people, especially school children."
The booklet of Islamic guidelines that has been issued covers among other things washing rituals required before prayer, saying that if water is not available the astronaut can symbolically "sweep holy dust" onto the face and hands "even if there is no dust" in the space station.
There are also suggestions on how to pray in a zero-gravity environment.
"During the prayer ritual, if you can't stand up straight, you can hunch. If you can't stand, you can sit. If you can't sit, you should lie down," it says.
And in the unlikely event of a Muslim astronaut's death, the body should be brought back to Earth for burial, failing which it should be "interred" in Space after a brief ceremony. No details of this are given.
The project to send a Malaysian to space was conceived in 2003 when Russia agreed to send a Malaysian to the ISS as part of Malaysia's billion-dollar purchase of 18 Sukhoi 30-MKM fighter jets.
Russia has taken a series of "space tourists" to the ISS, mostly businesspeople who have typically paid about 20 million dollars (14 million euros).
However Muszaphar said he was planning to help with scientific experiments.
Among other things the Soyuz will be taking cancer cells into space to study the effect on them of the weightless environment.
Muszaphar added that he would be taking some Malaysian food with him to treat fellow crew members: "We've made sure it's not very spicy so the Russians can eat it very well," he said.
Whitson, a biochemist who has previously spent six months on the ISS, said she looked forward to work on expanding the interior of the ISS after recent structural changes.
She said she would first be joining October 4 celebrations of the 50th anniversary of the Soviet Union's Sputnik space programme, marking the first time a man-made object orbited the earth.
"It's why we're going to space. I really recognise that the 50-year Sputnik anniversary is important to the whole world, not just to Russia," she said.
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