In 2002, the prime minister of Malaysia decided he wanted to advance the country’s space programme. Malaysia had sent satellites into space during the 1990s under the guidance of Prof Mazlan Othman, the country’s first astro-physicist. She was asked to form a national space agency and decided to launch an open programme to find Malaysia’s first astronaut. Around 11,000 people applied, with the chosen man: Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor, going to the International Space Station in 2007. Prof Othman tells Tim O’Callaghan about the challenges she faced getting the new agency up and running. Witness History is a short BBC World Service podcast about history that takes you inside big moments from the past through first-hand testimony and archive. Each weekday, in around nine minutes, we revisit one moment that helped shape the world and hear it through the voice of someone who was there. Scientists, artists, campaigners, soldiers, leaders and everyday people tell their true stories. When you subscribe to Witness History, you’ll be taken inside turning points in world affairs from West Africa’s fight back against Boko Haram in 2015 to the behind-closed-doors talks that led to the US-Cuba “thaw” and the surprise announcement of restored relations. You’ll discover what it was like to experience disasters and how people recovered from them, including the Tabasco floods in Mexico, Portugal's worst train disaster, and the huge clean-up after the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. You’ll explore culture and ideas too: Sweden’s Expedition Robinson, often credited as the first modern reality TV game show; the friendship between The Beatles’ George Harrison and Indian sitarist Ravi Shankar; and the night a tiger attack brought Las Vegas superstars Siegfried and Roy’s show to a sudden end. And if you’re curious about inventions, we’ll tell you how air fryers, BlackBerry, YouTube, Alexa, GPS, superglue, the shopping cart (shopping trolley) and bubble tea were created. If you’re new to Witness History, the appeal is simple: real voices, one strong true story, and a fresh way to understand today through events from history – all in the time it takes to enjoy a cup of tea or a walk around the block. Join millions of BBC World Service podcast listeners around the globe and enjoy the insight, context and detail Witness History will bring you. (Photo: Malaysia’s first astronaut Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor training for his trip to the International Space Station. Credit: Reuters/ Sergei Remezov)
