Malaysia’s first Angkasawan has his sights on keeping children healthy and realising a dream

Dr Sheikh Muszaphar knew that in order to realise his dream of becoming an astronaut, he had to lead an active lifestyle. — RICKY LAI/The Star

AN interest in science can lead people down many alleyways of career choice: medical, engineering, sports, etc. But Datuk Dr Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor shot straight for the stars. While he didn’t get there, he certainly got to a place few of us could only dream of.

Well, Sheikh dreamed big, and got to live it too when he was selected to be onboard the International Space Station in 2007. He had the chance to look down at us and realise, it’s a small world after all. (And to bust a myth, the Great Wall of China is not visible from space without a viewing apparatus, and neither is KLCC.)