A curious mix of science, publicity, politics, engineering, and Big Bucks: no, not a new Matrix movie. Instead, the latest installment of business/political cooperation into the stratosphere continues to develop, a legend in the making and well worth our attention. Yesterday, a new Russian space flight from Kazakhstan's Baikonur, with a crew of many nations. According to Reuters:
Inside the capsule was NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson, 47, who will take over command of the station for the next six months, flight engineer cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko, 45, and Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor, a 35-year-old orthopedic surgeon and part-time model from Malaysia.
Shukor's flight is part of a commercial deal Russia cut to sell aircraft to Malaysia.
Well, now that business is fully involved, and models, there should be a new movie or two out of this, that involves models, Malaysia, various large corporations, and perhaps endangered species and/or monsters.
All those that would like to develop a plot are free to use the comment space below. There are agents waiting to hear from you.
Luxury Trade:
Also, those that want to develop Baikonur further in order to stave off those pesky Russians from developing a new, non-Kazakh space station: we need both engineers for improved technology and more people who understand the luxury trade. Because Malaysia's hottest models and the US's most interesting moguls keep turning up in Baikonur, and I’m sure they want state of the art accommodations as well as state of 
the art safety features. I’m thinking anodyzed color finishes on the space suits, for one thing. And a few accessories, such as a chiffon muffler that floats out in zero gravity. A bridal package, with a cake stuffed in Mylar. Stuff like that.
Seriously, though: congratulations to Malaysia and all of the crew from every state. We wish you safety and good science.
