Odyssey: OASIS Member Making a Difference in South Africa

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Odyssey, April 2002. Editor: Kris Cerone

OASIS Member Making a Difference in South Africa

Commentary on the Second Space Tourist

South Africa - Reprinted below, with permission, is an e-mail received from long-time OASIS member and JPL Solar System Ambassador, Hildreth (Hal) Walker, Jr. Walker's e-mail was prompted by OASIS member, Bob Gounley's question about Mark Shuttleworth, the man who, at the time of writing, planed to be the first African in space.

Hal and his wife are currently in South Africa.

Bettye and I have committed ourselves and the A-MAN, Inc. organization and its International Science Discovery & Learning Center program to assisting in leveling of the educational playing fields here in the "New South Africa" the world's newest form of government through Democracy. The post apartheid period has social, economic and health problems never faced by any of our present style western democracies. Therefore, to assist here in educational ways is vital to the struggling peoples of South Africa. Employing technology and its broad impacts is a critical element to the success formula needed here to bridge the past to the present and into the future of South Africa specifically and all Africa in general. To address the needs of the emerging generation of South African students we are working to establish educational technology centers around the country where students and their families can become involved with computers, astronomy (Permission to Dream Project) and develop Internet access skills. Thereby, opening them up to a World that many have never seen before. To date we have completed (1) site and are preparing for (2) additional sites. These centers once completed represent a value of nearly R1,000,000 (Rand) a healthy start.

With this as some general background now to the question you asked regarding the plans of Mark Shuttleworth to become "the First African in Space". How do people in South Africa feel about his upcoming voyage -- excitement, indifference, or somewhere in between? Any sense about how other Africans feel?

Mark Shuttleworth as you might know is a person of South African Afrikaans† citizenship descendent. It is not my intent here to open old scars and wounds of the racists past policies of this to the question "how do peoples of South Africa regard Mark Shuttleworth's intent to become the first African in Space"? The question in it self raises the profound questions of who is an African? who is an Afrikaans?, and the same relationship can be applied to those others of so called mixed descent.

In general, the scientific community has embraced the aspect of Marks launch as a South African entrance into the 21st century with mixed emotions regarding his personal ambition/disclosure to be the "First African in Space," (see http://www.africaninspace.com/) rather than a more commonly expressed term "The First South African in Space."

Some of the scientific community here has supported the mission by preparing space related experiments, which are to be conducted by Mark. These activities at least keep the mission from appearing like a sight seeing voyage. I have looked at one of the experiments; at best it will serve to test some basic scientific principles regarding flight in weightlessness. Another is AIDS related and the research is hopefully valuable to that pandemic health issue here in Southern Africa.

Mark has expended his own monies for many of these experiments to be developed by the scientific community for use in the mission. Some feel that this "research" would or could better serve a more valuable purpose if he had intentions to follow up the work with additional funding for continuation and study especially the AIDS related medical experiments.

The general the South African "Black" persons reaction is HO-HUM, another rich "White" man with nothing to do, or they know nothing about it. Many persons (South Africans & Afrikaans) see Mark as an adventurer, like the climbers of Mt. Everest. The reported price tag for the trip is R200 million rand (In US Dollars that equates to $20 + million.) to become the second space tourist in history. Dennis Tito to be the first spent R240 million.

On a recent visit here to Cape Town, Mark described the training he is receiving at the Russian STAR CITY training center and he expressed amazement at infrastructure conditions " There are buildings that are literally falling apart and rooms where trees are growing through windows from the inside", he says. "It was a bit scary when I got there". Yes, I've wanted to go into space since I was a kid so, Okay, I'm really going to do this thing." When Mark (28) launches from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan he will be carrying a teddy bear mascot for the Aids Orphans Trust, a South African flag and the dreams of many of his countrymen and women of the New South Africa.

We must keep in mind on July 20th 1969 while many in the world watched Apollo 11 on TV, here in South Africa it was only broadcast on radio, TV did not exist for the masses.

Without spelling out any conclusions here to answer the questions the reader can develop a personal picture for his or her own interest based on their personal knowledge of history or the use some measurable amount of imagination.

The beat goes on to a Launch date on April 27, 2002 "Freedom Day here in the country of South Africa."

†Afrikaans here means of European/Dutch extract, settlers of the old South Africa.