Som@li Posted September 29, 2007 By Patrick Di Justo 09.26.07 | 12:00 AM Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor of Malaysia, a crew member on the 16th mission for the International Space Station, gives thumbs-up near the Soyuz-TMA capsule before the final test outside Moscow on Tuesday, Sept. 18, 2007. Photo: Associated Press / Mikhail Metzel Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor has a problem. Two problems. The first is that Mecca keeps moving. Well, not really. It's Shukor who'll be moving. As Malaysia's first astronaut, he's scheduled to lift off October 10 in a Russian Soyuz spacecraft for a nine-day visit during the holy month of Ramadan to the International Space Station. He's a devout Muslim and when he says his daily prayers he wants to face Mecca, specifically the Ka'aba, the holiest place in Islam ("Turn then thy face towards the Sacred Mosque: wherever ye are, turn your faces towards it .... " The Quran, Al-Baqarah, 2:149). That's where the trouble comes in. From ISS, orbiting 220 miles above the surface of the Earth, the qibla (an Arabic word meaning the direction a Muslim should pray toward Mecca) changes from second to second. During some parts of the space station's orbit, the qibla can move nearly 180 degrees during the course of a single prayer. What's a devout Muslim to do? "As a Muslim, I do hope to do my responsibilities," Shukor says. "I do hope to fast in space." More........ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
chubacka Posted September 29, 2007 ^^^ Ha ha ha thats funny. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
N.O.R.F Posted September 29, 2007 A patronising article,,,, Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
