AlHijjah 22, 1433, Nov 7, 2012, SPA -- Malaysian astronaut Dr. Sheikh Muzaffar said today that the journey of Prince Sultan bin Salman bin Abdulaziz in 1985 as the first Muslim astronaut was the key to his determination towards achieving the dream of ascent into space in 2007. Dr. Muzaffar delivered a lecture this morning in front of more than 200 students from public schools who came to hear and watch experiences of international astronauts at the headquarters of King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology in Riyadh. The Malaysian astronaut said, "I had followed with great passion the space trip of Prince Sultan bin Salman. I was then 15 years old. The enthusiasm which I saw in Prince Sultan when he ascended to space increased my ambition towards achieving the same dream." The Malaysian astronaut's dream was realized on 10th October 2007 on-board a Russian space vehicle which was launched from "Baikonur" station in Kazakhstan, toward the International Space Station. Dr. Muzaffar delivered his lecture as part of the 2012 Saudi International Conference on Technologies of Space and Aviation and the 25th International Conference of the Association of Space Explorers. He said that his journey into space cost his country $22 million.
