Muszaphar dreams of becoming pilot after contract with Govt ends
PENANG: After being in outer space and serving the people as an orthopaedic surgeon on the ground, angkasawan Dr Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor has now set his sights on the sky.
The surgeon hopes to become a pilot after finishing his contract with the Science, Technology and Innovation Ministry.
“I encourage everyone to diversify. The reason I do many things in life is to see how far I can go.
“I also hope to spend some time in Africa working with the children there,” Dr Sheikh Muszaphar, 35, said during a visit to Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) yesterday.
Dr Sheikh Muszaphar, a part-time model who owns a restaurant in Kuala Lumpur, is also trying out his hand in writing.
He has written a book that chronicles his space-training, the angkasawan selection process and his personal experiences in space. The book is set for release in July this year.
“I have also discovered that before my brother died, he had written about his perspective of my journey to become an angkasawan.
“As a tribute to him, I’m releasing his book first next month,” Dr Sheikh Muszaphar said.
The late Sheikh Mustafa Shukor Al Masrie died at the age of 32, just days after the angkasawan returned to earth last October.
Dr Sheikh Muszaphar was in Penang for a one-day visit on invitation by USM vice-chancellor Prof Datuk Dzulkifli Abdul Razak.
“It’s a special occasion as my brother was a Housing, Building and Planning graduate from USM and this is the first university I have visited to share my experiences from space,” he said.
Joined by Prof Dzulkifli and former International Amateur Radio Union Region 3 director Sangat Singh, Dr Sheikh Muszaphar participated in a forum to exchange views on space exploration and the nation’s space programme.
The Dewan Tunku Syed Putera in USM was filled to capacity with more than 3,000 people grabbing the chance to see Malaysia’s first angkasawan in the flesh.
In a press conference after the event, Prof Dzulkifli said the flight of Malaysia’s first angkasawan into space had prompted the university to soon set up an amateur radio station on campus.
“The ham radio (amateur radio) was used to communicate with Dr Sheikh when he was in space and I believe there are already a few people in USM who are experienced with it,” he added.
