Yesterday in Malaysia crowds went wild as the first Malaysian astronaut, Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor, blasted into space on Russian rocket launched from Kazakhstan. Shukor is heading for a 10-day stint on the International Space Station, where he’ll be the first person to observe the Islamic holy month Ramadan in space. Malaysians turned out in droves to watch the blast-off on giant-screen TVs in Kuala Lumpur’s Freedom Square, selling t-shirts and other space memorabilia. Shukor is an orthopaedic surgeon and professor — and pretty damn hot, too. Image via Getty.
Rocket launches first Malaysian into space [via Reuters]
