Astronaut or Cannot

One of the reasons why our spaceman sheik is not being called an Astronaut or Cosmonaut. See the other crews experiences :


Experience by Peggy A. Whitson (Ph.D.)
NASA Astronaut

The Expedition-5 crew launched on June 5, 2002 aboard STS-111 and docked with the International Space Station on June 7, 2002. During her 6-month stay aboard the Space Station, Dr. Whitson installed the Mobile Base System, the S1 truss segment, and the P1 truss segment using the space station remote manipulator system, performed a 4 hour and 25 minute Orlan EVA to install micrometeoroid shielding on the Zvezda Service Module, and activated and checked out the Microgravity Sciences Glovebox, a facility class payload rack. She was named the first NASA Science Officer during her stay, and she conducted 21 investigations in human life sciences and microgravity sciences, as well as commercial payloads. The Expedition-5 crew (one American Astronaut and two Russian Cosmonauts) returned to Earth aboard STS-113 on Dec. 7, 2002. Completing her first flight, Dr. Whitson logged 184 days, 22 hours and 14 minutes in space.

Experience by YURI IVANOVICH MALENCHENKO
(COLONEL, RUSSIAN AIR FORCE)
TEST COSMONAUT AT THE YU.A. GAGARIN
COSMONAUT TRAINING CENTER

Malenchenko completed his first 126-day spaceflight in July 1 – Nov. 4, 1994 on the Soyuz TM-14 vehicle and the Mir station (Mir-16 mission). The mission included spaceflight of Ulf Merbold, an ESA astronaut as part of the EuroMir program. Malenchenko completed two spacewalks that lasted 11 hours and 7 minutes total. He performed the first manual docking of the Mir station with the Progress M-24 vehicle in the teleoperator mode. Since Oct. 1998 till Sept. 2000 Malenchenko trained at NASA for a Shuttle spaceflight (2A, later 2A.2B).
Malenchenko served on the crew of STS-106 preparing the International Space Station for the arrival of the first permanent crew. The five astronauts and two cosmonauts delivered more than 6,600 pounds of supplies and installed batteries, power converters, a toilet and a treadmill on the Space Station. Yuri Malenchenko and Ed Lu performed a 6 hour and 14 minute space walk in order to connect power, data and communications cables to the newly arrived Zvezda Service Module and the Space Station.
Since Jan. 2001 he trained as a commander of the ISS 7 prime crew. Malenchenko completed his third spaceflight (with NASA astronaut Ed Lu) as an ISS 7 crew and Soyuz TMA commander. The flight lasted from April 26 till Oct. 27, 2003, with a total duration of 185 days.
Since Nov. 2003 till Sept. 2005 Malenchenko trained with a group of test-cosmonauts.
Since Oct. 2005 till Oct. 2006 he trained as a flight engineer of the ISS 14 crew and Soyuz commander.
In Oct. 2006 he started training as an ISS 16 crew flight engineer and Soyuz commander that is scheduled to launch to the ISS in Oct. 2007.

Experience by Daniel M. Tani
NASA Astronaut

STS-108 Endeavour (December 5-17, 2001) was the 12th shuttle flight to visit the International Space Station. During the mission Tani served as MS-2. Endeavour’s crew delivered the Expedition-4 crew and returned the Expedition-3 crew. The crew unloaded over 3 tons of supplies, logistics and science experiments from the Raffaello Multi-Purpose Logistics Module. Tani performed a space walk to wrap thermal blankets around ISS Solar Array Gimbals. STS-108 was accomplished in 185 Earth orbits, traveling 4.8 million miles in 283 hours and 36 minutes, including an EVA of 4 hours and 12 minutes.
Experience by LÉOPOLD EYHARTS (General, French Air Force)
ESA Astronaut (Mission Specialist)

In August 1998, Léopold Eyharts was assigned by the European Space Agency to train at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. As part of the international astronauts of the 1998 class, he attended Astronaut Candidate Training which included orientation briefings and tours, numerous scientific and technical briefings, intensive instruction in Shuttle and International Space Station systems, physiological training and ground school to prepare for T-38 flight training, as well as learning water and wilderness survival techniques. Initially assigned to the Astronaut Office Space Station Operations Branch. Léopold Eyharts' assignments include serving as a flight engineer to the Expedition-12 and Expedition-13 back-up crews.

Experience by Garrett E. Reisman (Ph.D.)
NASA Astronaut (Mission Specialist)

Selected by NASA in June 1998, Dr. Reisman reported for training in August 1998. Astronaut Candidate Training included orientation briefings and tours, numerous scientific and technical briefings, intensive instruction in Shuttle and International Space Station systems, physiological training and ground school to prepare for T-38 flight training, as well as learning water and wilderness survival techniques.
After completing this training, Dr. Reisman was assigned to the Astronaut Office Robotics Branch where he worked primarily on the Space Station robotic arm.
In October 2001, Dr. Reisman was assigned to the Astronaut Office Advanced Vehicles Branch where he worked on the displays and checklists to be used in the next generation Space Shuttle cockpit.
In June 2003, Dr. Reisman was a crewmember on NEEMO V, living on the bottom of the sea in the Aquarius habitat for two weeks.
Dr. Reisman is currently training for a future long-duration mission on the International Space Station

And our Hero.....the man......

Experience by Spaceflight Participant Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor

Born in Kuala Lumpur, Dr. Sheikh Muszaphar obtained his high school education at Maktab Rendah Sains MARA in Muar. He then pursued his MBBS medical degree at Kasturba Medical College, Manipal.(Yoi! where is this country)
Dr. Sheikh Muszaphar is an orthopaedic doctor and a trainee lecturer in medicine with Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. Previously, he has served in Hospital Seremban (1998), Kuala Lumpur General Hospital (1999) and Hospital Selayang (2000-2001)

Some said he's part time model..........

Condolence

Al Fatihah and my deepest condolence to the family of Nurin. May god bless your soul Nurin.

What a blunder

Would you believe it guys, about the e-kesihatan project, the Executive Director of the company Supreme System Sdn. Bhd Dato Nordin Yahaya, that were given the contract had denied that they would stand to make RM 400 Million in 15 years but it is in 5 years time. Hooray for JPJ. (TV3 News at Eight)

Just for you, modern kids, to know

From a friend:

TO ALL THOSE WHO WERE BORN IN THE

40's and 50's/ early 60's

First, we survived with mothers who had no maids. They cooked /cleaned while taking care of us at the same time.

They took aspirin, candy floss, fizzy drinks, shaved ice with syrup and diabetes was rare. Salt added to Pepsi or Coke was remedy for fever.

We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, doors or cabinets and when we rode our bikes, we had no helmets.

As children, we would ride with our parents on bicycles/ motorcycles for 2 or 3. Richer ones in cars with no seat belts or air bags.

Riding in the back of a private taxi was a special treat.

We drank water from the tap and NOT from a bottle.

We would spend hours on the fields under bright sunlight flying our kites, without worrying aboutUV rays which never seem to affect us. We go into the jungle to catch spiders without worries of Aedes mosquitoes.

With mere 5 pebbles (stones) would be a endless game. With a ball (tennis ball best) we boys would run like crazy for hours.

We caught guppy in drains / canals and when it rained we swam there.

We shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle and NO ONE actually worry about being unhygienic.

We ate salty, very sweet & oily food, candies,bread and real butter and drank very sweet soft drinks, sweet coffee/ tea, ice kachang, but we weren't overweight because.....
.
WE WERE ALWAYS OUTSIDE PLAYING!!

We would leave home in the morning and play all day, till streetlights came on.
No one was able to reach us all day. And we were O.K.

We would spend hours repairing our old bicycles and wooden scooters out of scraps and then ride down the hill, only to find out we forgot the brakes. After running into the bushes a few times, we learned to solve the problem .

We did not have Playstations, Nintendo's,X-boxes, multiple channels on cable TV, DVD movies, no surround sound, no phones, no personal computers, no Internet.WE HAD FRIENDS and we went outside and found them!

We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth and we still continued the stunts.

We never had birthday parties till we were 21,

We rode bikes or walked to a friend's house and just yelled for them!

The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law was unheard of. They actually sided with the law!

Yet this generation has produced some of the best risk-takers, problem solvers and inventors ever!

The past 40 years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas.

We had freedom, failure,success and responsibility, and we learned

HOW TO DEAL WITH IT ALL!

And YOU are one of them!

CONGRATULATIONS!

To give and be forgiven

Yes its Ramadan month, the month that we are supposed to give and to forgive.
To give but there is time that you do not know who is to be chosen, shall it be the neighbor further down the road who could not pay her rent and live without electricity for the last six months because of the husband who is totally useless or the single mother with six children’s who barely manage to scrap some food for her children but at least they have electricity and water. Or could it be the single lady who’s live by herself at a rented house, because the foster parent have decided that they did not need her anymore as all their children have grown up. Or shall it be the neighbor’s wife who always trying to borrow some money from you and others but do not bother to pay back. Or shall I just ignore their plight, no I know I should't but alas who........

To forgive but alas I am just a human being ,I have my reservation, I have my anxiety toward my fellows human being. Shall I forgive the relative who swindled away my money for the monthly car payment till the car was repossessed,yes I trusted him then because I was young and he's my close relative for crying out loud.. Do I forgive the neighbor who spread the word that one of my family member have Hepatitis "B" and thus the neighborhood should avoid us like a leper?. Shall I forgive them all .......

Merdeka! Merdeka!

Did you saw the other day on the box, our sis Rafidah Aziz was closed to shed a crocodile tear when she told the reporters that she found a pen that contained no ink hence cannot be used but it was bought by her department using the raayat money.
We must be proud of our bro Senator Mohamad Mohamad Taib for he would willingly sacrificed himself to be bombed and stoned in the defend of our Tanah Melayu Sultanate. We should tip our hat off to Bro Najib for declaring that only 14 death of the ordinary raayats'sons had occurred since the start of PLKN and not 20 as reported.
And saluted Sami Valu for his expertise in Technical Engineering as he rightly pointed out that the cause of another leaks at the Parliment house was due to rubbish being strewn on the roof.RUBBISH!!!!!!

Oh! What a night.

Cor, yes what a night it was , there they were all the friends that I knew for the last thirty years, some are still the same in body size, I mean. But they are still the same old noisy friends that I knew all this while; Jamil(Sami),Nordin(AMS), Harry Othman, Wan (the moderator), Mohtar, Halim(Penang mari), Bone Sulaiman, Bob Malik, Din Sontot, Amirudo,Mustafa (Macgyver),Azhar, Manan,TJ the host, Herman,Ziggy,Teoh,Isa , Ghazali (Baba), Shaid Mahfus, Lee Bandit, Pak Cik Kamal etc.
Yes, we were noisy but other patrons seem to tolerate our noises. It's really good to see them and to hear from them again. I hope we will always be like this for all times.