Cosmonaut Anton Shkaplerov's dream for Malaysia:I hope to come across extraterrestrial lifeforms if possible in the future

Anton Shkaplerov sharing his experience as a cosmonaut at the Russian Centre of Science and Culture in Kuala Lumpur last Friday. PIC BY SALHANI IBRAHIM

KUALA LUMPUR: WHEN a cosmonaut enters a room, it is quite an occasion as it’s not just the children’s faces that light up. This was proven by Russian spacefarer Anton Shkaplerov recently.
Shkaplerov, 47, came to Malaysia at the invitation of the country’s first and only astronaut, Datuk Dr Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor, who went to space on Expedition 15 in October 2007 on board the Soyuz TMA-11 spacecraft.
He spent 10 days on the International Space Station (ISS) after emerging as the best candidate in the Malaysian Angkasawan spaceflight programme.
“This is my second visit to Malaysia, the first being four years ago, and on both occasions I was invited by my good friend Dr Sheikh Muszaphar, who I have known for more than a decade,” said Shkaplerov, who shared his experience as one of Russia’s best and most experienced cosmonauts recently at the Russian Centre of Science and Culture here.
More than 60 Russians living and working in Malaysia, together with a few Malaysians, came to catch a rare glimpse of Shkaplerov in person and seize the opportunity to engage with him on his time in space: a total of 533 days, five hours and 31 minutes on board the ISS over three missions from 2011 until last year.
Shkaplerov first met Dr Sheikh Muszaphar when they trained together more than 10 years ago at Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Centre in Star City, Russia, the home of the Russian Space Programme.
“I might be a veteran of three space missions and a former commander of the ISS, but between the two of us, it is Dr Sheikh Muszaphar who went up to space first,” quipped Shkaplerov, who holds the Russian record for the longest spacewalk of eight hours and 13 minutes during Mission 54/55 in February last year.
Shkaplerov pointed out that he would like to see another or more Malaysians follow in Dr Sheikh Muszaphar’s footsteps in becoming an astronaut.
“Dr Sheikh Muszaphar is a shining, fine example that Malaysia, a developing Southeast Asian country, can produce worthy astronauts who can not only successfully be a part of a space mission, but also an invaluable member who carried out important research and experiments during his short stint on the ISS.
“I firmly believe and look forward to the time when we can have another Malaysian or Southeast Asian astronaut in a mission to space,” said Shkaplerov.
The first Southeast Asian astronaut in space was Vietnamese Pham Tuan, when he flew aboard the Soyuz 37 mission as an Interkosmos Research Cosmonaut to the then Soviet Salyut 6 space station back in July 1980 for close to eight days.

Anton Shkaplerov and Malaysia’s first and only astronaut, Datuk Dr Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor, during a holiday in Langkawi recently.

This time round, not only did Dr Sheikh Muszaphar invite Shkaplerov for another holiday on the picturesque island of Langkawi together with his wife and two daughters in tow, but they also took up roles as mentors for the three-day Green Mentoring Walk and Tour 2019 programme from Nov 19 to 22, to create much needed awareness of climate change and green tourism.
During his short time here, Shkaplerov also joined Dr Sheikh Muszaphar to speak at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia’s “UKM In Space — Stem For All” event, that was held at the university’s campus on Nov 19.
“Shkaplerov and I are good, old friends, who have kept in touch ever since our days training together all those years ago, and I invited him over because he is always open to speaking and sharing on his experiences as a cosmonaut,” said Dr Sheikh Muszaphar.
Shkaplerov’s first space mission was in November 2011. It lasted 165 days. He was the commander of the Soyuz TMA-22 spacecraft for Expedition 29/30 to the ISS. Shkaplerov is the first to admit though, when growing up, he was not the brightest student nor the best athlete. But sheer determination and focus led him to become a cosmonaut and a Russian hero.
“I did not let anything deter me or get in my way of realising my ambition of becoming a pilot, and, at that time, it never occurred to me that I would one day become a cosmonaut, a Russian hero who would take part in multiple missions to space,” said Shkaplerov, who served as a pilot and instructor with the Russian Air Force flying the MiG-29 fighter aircraft before he became a cosmonaut. And Shkaplerov will be the first to point out that it takes perseverance, patience and a lot of hard work and effort to become a cosmonaut.
“When I was 30 years old, I decided to be a cosmonaut, and it was anything but easy or smooth sailing. I trained very hard for eight years before I was able to go on my first mission nine years ago.
“And once I had become a cosmonaut, there were other challenges and obstacles that I had to face. For example, for each of the three space missions that I have been on, we spent a minimum of more than five months in space.
“During each mission, I was away from my beloved family and friends for a very long time, but we managed to prevail as we knew that we had to remain focused on the mission not just to ensure that we succeed for the objectives of the mission, but for our very survival and safe return as well,” Shkaplerov revealed.
One of the questions that Shkaplerov is often asked is if he has had any encounters with aliens or extraterrestrials.
“After three missions and more than a year and a half in space, I am sad to say that I have yet to have any encounter with aliens or extraterrestrial lifeforms, none of us have.
“But I do believe that we are not the only living beings in the vast expanse of the great, big universe, and I hope to come across extraterrestrial lifeforms if possible in the future” said Shkaplerov, who revealed that if all goes well, he will be taking part in his fourth mission to the ISS within the next two years.

Azdee Amir 

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