KUALA LUMPUR: THE legacy and inspiration left by Russian cosmonaut Yuri Alexeyevich Gagarin is still very much alive. Malaysia's first astronaut, Datuk Dr Sheikh Muszaphar Sheikh Mustapha, 48, said with that in mind, he hoped a second Malaysian astronaut would be a woman (angkasawati) who would travel to space by 2030.
"Gagarin inspired all of us. His feat 60 years ago was the beginning of the magical moments for many," he said at a reception to commemorate the 60th anniversary of Gagarin's first human space flight on April 12 at the Russian Centre for Science and Culture here yesterday.
Recalling his first journey into space, he said: "I vividly remember the goose bumps and the exciting heartbeat when I was sent to space.
"I tried not to wink for even a moment so as not to miss out the wonderful journey and sight as the space shuttle shot up towards space."
The reception also featured a short live video appearance by Yuri Ivanovich Malenchenko, who on Oct 10, 2007, flew with orthopaedic surgeon Dr Sheikh Muszaphar with the 'Expedition 16' crew on board space shuttle Soyuz TMA-11 to join the International Space Station (ISS).
Present were Russian ambassador Naiyl Latipov, the centre's director, Svetlana Kovaleva, and Malaysian Space Agency director-general Azlikamil Napiah.
Dr Sheikh Muszaphar said he was shortlisted from among the 12,000 applicants that was trimmed down to four candidates, who were sent to Russia for a year's training, including learning the Russian language.
"Every time we passed by Star City (at Moscow Oblast) for our training, I remember seeing a huge statue of their hero outside the 'Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center'.
"We were often reminded of not only Gagarin's feat, but that of Laika the dog, the first animal to orbit space onboard Sputnik 2, and Valentina Vladimirovna Tereshkova, the first woman in space."
He added that to date, there were a total of 515 astronauts in the world, with 15 of them from Asia.
While on board the ISS, Dr Sheikh Muszaphar performed experiments relating to the characteristics and growth of liver cancer and leukaemia cells, the crystallisation of various proteins and microbes in space.
Dr Sheikh Muszaphar returned to earth on Oct 21, 2007, aboard Soyuz TMA-10 with the 'Expedition 15' crew members, Fyodor Yurchikhin and Oleg Kotov.
The mission was possible following a bilateral collaboration with Russia following the purchase package of 18 Su-30MKM Flanker fighter jets, reportedly worth US$900 million via a cash and crop trade-off.
Meanwhile, Malenchenko said he still relished on the difficult but grand and exciting space flight with Dr Sheikh Muszaphar.
"This year marks an important era since Gagarin's inaugural flight to space 60 years ago. There is no doubt what space exploration has developed into, as it has proved to be the beginning of many industrial innovations.
"Look at how countries like Malaysia have achieved many great things today. That was an amazing collaboration with Malaysia and I am sure there will be many more exciting moments to come, just like the special bond we achieved in 2007," said Malenchenko, who became the first person to marry in space on Aug 10, 2003.
Malenchenko married Ekaterina Dmitrieva, who was on ground in Texas, the United States, while he was 240 miles over New Zealand, on the ISS.
Gagarin had on April 12, 1961 blasted off from the Baikonur Space Centre in Kazakhstan in a Vostok-1 spaceship powered by the Rocket R-7.
He became the first man in space, orbiting earth once at 18,000 miles an hour at an altitude of 302km for 108 minutes.
Unfortunately, on March 27, 1968, Gagarin perished in a crash at Novosyolovo, 18km from Kirzhacha in Vladimir Oblast after his MiG-15UTI jet went into a tailspin during a training flight with his test instructor Vladimir Sergeyevich Seryogin, the Cosmonauts Flight Preparation Organisation's commanding officer.
Their aeroplane had become trapped in an atmospheric vortex created by a passing Sukhoi Su-15 supersonic jet.
At the reception, Latipov unveiled a mural dedicated to 'The Hero of the Soviet Union' Gagarin and an exhibition chronicled to the latter's life.
