Space exploration : A farce?
Putting a Malaysian in space at the expense of taxpayers does not seem like a very wise move for a small nation with poverty still apparent within its population. Afterall, it's all about money. Without which of course, Dr Sheikh Muzaphar would not have had the opportunity to venture into space.
Thus, the argument of whether he is indeed a full fledged astronaut or just a space tourist has arisen. Training for space flight is rigorous and no doubt challenging. The selection is often extremely competitive and the eventual crew will usually represent contributing nations. Most astronauts perform such tasks as their vocation. In fact, the crew that accompanied Dr Muzaphar to space will be manning the International Space Station for a prolonged period as opposed to the one week stay of Dr Muzaphar. The Russians could have sent another person to relieve the ISS crew instead of Dr Muzaphar who occupied a space that would otherwise have been better utilised.
There is no harm in dreaming about space exploration but I feel Malaysia needs to concentrate on more important and fundamental issues. The hundreds of millions of ringgit could have been better spent improving local conditions rather than sending an individual that will hardly make any impact on international space exploration.
If we are serious about space, we should improve our space programme, if it exists. Training individuals in the science concerned with space travel will be paramount for a firm foundation in the field of space exploration. Like China, we should not be paying others to send our nationals to space but rather develop our very own programs.
Indeed, I see Dr Muzaphar's travel to space as a farce and a complete waste of public funds.
13 Comments:
The farce does not ends here, perhaps Dr Sheikh Muzaphar will be granted 'Dato' title when he come back, believe or not?
I'm sure he will be. They will probably pass him in his attempts at the Orthopedic masters programme at UKM as well. Worse still, they are sending another Malaysian to space within the next 2 years. When civil servants are so poorly renumerated, how much sense does it make, wasting funds on sending someone to space without even a proper space programme in Malaysia.
I have been reading your blog...I am flabbergasted at how narrow your thinking had taken its course.
Russian government has never erradicated poverty 100% neither the American government. Get your facts right before you write!
Why always look at the glass half empty. Being a literate (I would disagree you being an educated, even with your Phd/MD). Look at how the trip to space could influence our young Malaysian to pursue science with more enthusiasm and achieve greater heights in technological advancement.
This might even inspire our Malaysian scientiest to develope our own space exploration tools and experties. Look at the horizon...its wide untrodden path. China certainly is not a good example. Proudly known for their unethical, flamboyant, poor quality, and the bottom feeders of third world country infest the mentality of cheap manufacturing with purging toxicated elements in their production or even processed food, to an extent to even kill innocent people of the earth. Thats the China I see today, I wonder how they plan toxicate space.
Lets be Malaysian's whom are proud of their nation. Afterall I have not seen a nation that allows non native nationals as much privilage as Malaysian government do. I am not supressing critics, I am just putting forward my pledge for a contructive critic which will help us all improve and build a unified nation with strength in economy, technology, education and etc.
Let us look at ways we can construct and improve our space exploration mission then just pass judgment.
Some facts to support my notion from financial perspective:
When the money used for space exploration is totalled up and presented as a single sum, it looks like a lot of money that one is then tempted to apply to other purposes. That is a deception. In the United States, the federal government each year spends less than 1% of its budget on space exploration, and more than 30% of the budget helping the poor in this country. That means that if the space program were completely eliminated, a poor person instead of getting $1.00 would then get $1.03. That does not seem like the extra help they really need to save them.
What would we lose for giving the extra 3 cents to the poor (or some other program)? Well for one thing without the space program you and I could not be having this e-mail conversation because there would be no communications satellites. There would be no weather satellites so there would be little or no warning of hurricanes or typhoons. I'm not sure about Malaysia, but in the United States it is now unusual for a lot of lives to be lost in a hurricane, whereas in the past we could lose thousands of lives to these storms. The difference is satellite surveillance of weather systems. We would certainly know and understand less about our solar system and universe without the space probes and orbiting telescopes provided by space exploration. We would also understand less about the earth, about ecological systems, about efficient ways of growing crops and controlling pollution.
The reality is that the space program has done a lot to save the earth, save lives, feed people, and bring us together through closer communication. The space program has shown us an example of how to solve seemingly impossible problems. We should use this example to help us solve other difficult problems, like world hunger. It is a mistake to say that since we have problems that we haven't solved, we should stop solving other problems as well.
It is also ironic to claim that we want to save the present and forget the future. What do you do tomorrow, when the neglected future has become the present?
You can get details of the US space program budget at http://www.nasa.gov/hqpao/fy98_summary.txt or at the NASA Budget Material page; and you can get info on the US Federal Budget at www.cbo.gov.
For someone with strong opinions, posting as anonymous is, to me, a form of cowardice.
Indeed, space exploration has done Mankind a world of a good. In fact, I support space exploration. But perhaps one has missed the point here.
Just as we cannot forget the future, not saving the present can have disastrous results.
Taking the expenditure of the United States and making comparisons with Malaysia is foolish. The current space program that Malaysia intends to have will probably take up more than 1% of our GDP. You are right but 1% of US's expenditure certainly does not equate to 1% for Malaysia!!! Get your facts right and thoughts straight too.
You are implying that I am against space exploration as a whole but in actual fact, I am saying that Malaysia's entry into the space program is exhausting precious resources and is premature. There are many other ways of stimulating interests in young minds with regards to space exploration. Choosing this path is bad financial planning unless you are billionaire . Malaysia certainly does not have such financial resources. I am certain that only with judicious financial planning today, then only can Malaysia be a force to be reckoned with in space exploration in future.
Aptly, NASA does not recognise Dr Muszaphar as an astronaut but a spaceflight participant aka space tourist. So let us not kid ourselves, if it were not for the money, he would not be in space. That money could have been better spent.
From a healthcare perpective, many patients are deprived of an optimal treatment because of the unavailability of funds. From much needed chemotherapy and transplants to hypertensive medications, many patients cannot afford this. Appeals to the welfare department on many occasions would fall on deaf ears and the common excuse is "not enough funds". Donation appeals in the newspaper is only the tip of a very large iceberg.
So anonymous, tell me if I am really speaking through my nose.
You are! Gullible fool.
:-)
We have the money to send someone to space at such an exorbitant cost and yet we have no money for so many other programmes of priority. A few days ago two policemen died for the want of bulllet proof vests. Crimes are prevalent not just on the streets but everywhere. Our drinking water from the tap is dirty. The list goes on and on.
The government has lost its sense of priority and has opted for a two-minute fame solution in its run-up preparations for the next GE. The rakyat's money has been sacrificed.
I am utterly disappointed that after 50 years of independence we are obsessed with form over matter. And that appears to reflect the mentality of the entire UMNO horde.
Ooh, it not that expensive considering all the other places we have splash cash. i.e.a Proton dropped on the north pole, Rempits program, slew of other pride building program
Malaysia shuld hv its own mould and not to simply model the unipolar power.
Space program....mr prime minister better explain to rakyat days after our msian Dr muszaphar landed earth, rakyats subsidies stripped & COLA on the rise.
Rakyat rich? Excuse us mr pm, who is getting mega rich here?
Mr pm and your jeanne dun go to wet markets to buy....ie onions.....mr pm what does he care önions a kilo now. Rise COLA doesnt affect him at all.
space program a waste of tax payers money that shuld b placed for good use for rakyat.
its like a family of ten children, the dad feeds A Class food & everything A Class to two of his children, the balance eight r fed with surviving food.
Out of the eight, two are sickly, dad dun bother give better medical treatment coz budget allocated most to de two siblings.
Thd exact scenario in msia, who cares quality, mr pm wake up....
Hi Dr Cheah, nice blog. In my humble opinion the money could be better spent. So many top students are denied a scholarship each year which forces them to either pursue their education elsewhere. Now we have spent 20 mil on this angkasawan and also 4 bil on the PKFZ, money that should have been used to educate the nation's future leaders.
People are dying in the Johor floods, and our DPM is asking for donations from the private sector. I am sure the victims don't really care much about space at the moment.
I congratulate Dr Sheik for his efforts. Definitely he is already set for life. Before he has even passed his ortho masters program, he has alraedy been referred to as an orthopaedic surgeon by the newspapers.
There seems like lots of idiot believe this space program is about Malaysian agenda. It is complete waste of public money that could benefited by local students. Hardworking student don't have place at local University; whats the point sending jokers/poster boy to space!?
in my humble opinion,the money is not well spent in that way. Dun see the point of spending such a huge amount of money on tat. why not give me for my medical school fees?Haha.
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