(Image Credit: CNN)

It is a proud day for Malaysians everywhere, as they are for the first time seeing one of their own journey beyond the sky in order to orbit the heavens above.

(Earth Times) Malaysia’s first astronaut created national history when he blasted off on board a Russian rocket into space Wednesday, marking a first for the nation which tuned in to watch the historic event live on television. Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor took off for the International Space Station (ISS) on board a Soyuz-FG rocket, adorned with the Malaysian flag, from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. [...]

At the ISS, Sheikh Muszaphar is to experiment with microbes of tropical diseases and with proteins for a potential HIV vaccine, and study the effects of microgravity and space radiation on cancer cells and human genes.

Malaysia is located in the Pacific below Vietnam and Thailand and right above Indonesia. Although predominantly Muslim, Malaysia seems to have a more “liberal” view than its Islamic neighbors.

Their entrance into the space arena should help bring about more diversity among the stars, as well as an opportunity to encourage its neighbors to claim their stake in our solar system.

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