When You're In Orbit, Which Way Is Mecca?

New Scientist ^ | 4-21-2006 | Kelly Young

[blam]

When you're in orbit, which way is Mecca?

12:14 21 April 2006
NewScientist.com news service
Kelly Young

Dan Bursch, Yuri Onufrienko and Carl Walz pose with their Christmas tree aboard the International Space Station in 2001 (Image: NASA)

Malaysia's National Space Agency is trying to determine how its astronaut candidates will practice Islam in space. Three of its four astronaut candidates are Muslim, and two will be selected for a future Russian space flight.

Once in their orbiting spacecraft, they will circle the Earth once every 90 minutes. Traditionally, Muslims pray five times per day, at times connected to the position of the Sun in the sky. This will make prayer observance a challenge if they accept a "day" as being just 90 minutes long.

A similar problem occurs for Muslims who live close to Earth's polar regions where there are long periods of daylight or darkness. Islamic legal scholars traditionally say that in such situations, a Muslim should pray as they would at a particular, relatively high latitude, even if they venture nearer the poles.

"Any legal scholar advising these astronauts would have to simply pick various times that would roughly correspond to their morning, noon, afternoon, sunset and night prayers," says Alan Godlas, a professor of religion at the University of Georgia, US.

Minor ablutions

Additionally, Muslims turn toward Mecca when they pray. Zooming around the Earth at 28,000 kilometres per hour might make pinpointing the exact location of Mecca pretty tricky. Godlas says that orienting oneself toward Earth might be good enough. "There are instances where the prophet indicated a wide swathe; kind of a general direction," Godlas says.

And Muslims have a cleansing ritual, known as ablutions, before prayer. But water is used sparingly in space. Godlas says astronauts could force water between their two hands and then moisten the body during a minor ablution.

On Earth, it is ideal to have water running along the arms from the faucet, but water does not flow downward in microgravity. Godlas says that when water is not available, scholars have determined a pure rock could be used to wipe the hands. The hands could then clean the forearms, face and feet.

Saudi Arabian astronaut Sultan Salman Al-Saud flew aboard the shuttle in 1985. He was scheduled to look out the shuttle's window to see the crescent of the new moon to mark the end of the Muslim religious holiday, Ramadan.

Electric menorah

About 150 scientists, astronauts, religious scholars and academics are expected to gather in Malaysia on 25 and 26 April for an "Islam and Life in Space" seminar.

People have found ways to celebrate other religions above Earth. Israel's first astronaut Ilan Ramon, who died in the shuttle Columbia accident, was not a religious Jew, but he ate some Kosher food aboard the shuttle and observed the Jewish Sabbath. But rather than observing Sabbath every seventh sundown, Ramon followed the timings on Earth.

Walter Sipes, chief of operational psychology at NASA's Johnson Space Center, says that a menorah (a Jewish candle holder) has not yet been requested for a long mission aboard the space station. It might be possible to send a menorah with little electric bulbs, he says.

Streaming religion

Christianity has had a long history in space. Of the 29 Apollo astronauts, 23 were Protestant and six were Catholic.

Buzz Aldrin, a Presbyterian, gave himself Holy Communion once his lunar lander touched down on the Moon. And while circling the Moon during the Apollo 8 mission, Frank Borman apologised to his Episcopal congregation because he would not make it back to Earth in time to be a lay reader on Christmas Eve. Borman and his crew did read from the book of Genesis.

Now, if astronauts request it, NASA can send up streaming video of religious services. There is also a Christmas tree on the International Space Station. "For some, religion is very comforting and we certainly want to respect that," Sipes told New Scientist.

[MikefromOhio]

They are not found in Star trek..

Technically that's incorrect. The current King of Jordan was an extra on TNG....

[Williams]

I don't consider these posts a flame war, but you have evidence of nothing. You listen to the easiest arguments presented on talk radio, and you say "yeah right" and you go on blindly mouthing that all moslems support terrorism, and demanding that people give you "evidence" to the contrary. I'll see what I can do, but you have no intention of seeing any evidence.

[Williams]

OK here goes Windsong:

Here is a link to a group of American Moslems who believe there has not been enough Islamic criticism of terrorism:

http://www.freemuslims.org/

Here is a link to symposium on Jews and Moslems against terror held in Jeruselem featuring the former (Islamic) President of Indonesia:

http://www.jcrelations.net/en/?id=2021

Here is the group Muslims Against Terrorism, featuring prominent Muslims who denounce Bin Laden and terrorism:

http://www.islamfortoday.com/terrorism.htm

Here is an article about American and Canadian Moslems who spoke out against terrorism:

http://www.sptimes.com/2005/08/03/Opinion/Muslims_speak_out_aga.shtml

Article regarding 20,000 muslims marched against terrorism in Germany:

http://atheism.about.com/b/a/128216.htm?terms=muslim+terrorists

Article, 40,000 moslems protest terror in Russia:

http://islamonline.net/English/News/2004-09/08/article05.shtml

Article, Muslims stand against terror in Italy:

http://www.iht.com/articles/2005/08/28/news/italy.php

King Fahd and Crown Prince Abdallah Call on Moslems to Fight Terrorism:

http://www.arabnews.com/?page=1&section=0&article=35533&d=25&m=11&y=2003

Because my Yahoo search for "Muslims Against Terror" brought up 4,700,000 items, I will stop there. Admittedly not all are anti-terror articles, but I selected the above from the first 40 out of almost 5 million.

Let me guess, this doesn't persuade you of anything. Fine let's leave it at that. But reality is there are a billion or so moslems and if they were all behind terrorism, we would be considerably busier than we are. They aren't, many are decent hard working people.

[sheik yerbouty]

Which episode?

[MikefromOhio]

My bad, I said TNG and it should've been Voyager (they both run together as I never really watched either one)

It was season 2, episode 20

Here is his picture



And more here

[sheik yerbouty]

Is he a SAG member?

[sheik yerbouty]

I guess there is an exception..

[MikefromOhio]

how should I know?