Nerdy Science Blog

BERNAMA:

April 14, 2008 16:04 PM

Cabinet To Discuss Budget To Send Second Astronaut Into Space

KUALA LUMPUR, April 14 (Bernama) — The cabinet will discuss the budget to sent a second astronaut to the International Space Station (ISS) in 2011, Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Datuk Dr Maximus Ongkili said Monday.

He said at the moment the government wanted to continue with the programme even though it had not yet allocated a budget for the purpose.

“At the moment, the money for the second phase has not been allocated yet. That’s why the government will have to decide on the next plan,” he told reporters after visiting the Academy of Sciences Malaysia here Monday.

Ongkili said the government had not responded yet to the Russian government whether to continue with the programme as it needed to study the budget as well as the impact of the first phase of the programme.

He said the government needed about two months to decide on the matter, afterwhich the decision would be conveyed to the Russian space agency, Roskosmos.

Astronaut Dr Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor Sheikh Mustapha was chosen to travel to the ISS in the first phase of the programme in October last year.

Major Dr Faiz Khaleed, 26, who underwent training with Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor, had been named as the astronaut for the second phase of the mission.

– BERNAMA

Although the decision whether to send another Malaysian tax-payers sponsored space traveller to enjoy his luxury ’scientific’ space trip was still undecided few days ago, today the Malaysian were being told that the Cabinet will send another space traveller and they are still discussing how much money they should spend on it. No beneficial impact was observable from the first space trip (either short-term or long-term) by me and other Malaysians, except the Russian government.

How much more government is going to spend on this white elephant project that only benefits Russian government, particular industries in the states and selected space traveller? Why the allocation of the budget is not planned during the first phase of the programme as they already decided to send second space traveller at that time? Halt the project or continue the programme has larger negative impact to the counry?

Noted that it is the GOVERNMENT who wants to continue this space travelling and cause country in debt, but not the tax-payers who want it.