Malaysians will soon be able to vote for the country’s first astronaut via SMS. The Malaysian Ministry of Science, Technology and innovation “plans to make the country’s space programme a truly interactive experience“.

The BBC reports:
“Once its 11,000 would-be astronauts have been whittled down to a handful, their details and updates on their progress will be posted on the internet. Then, the public will be able to make their choice by SMS and Malaysia’s space bosses will factor the votes into their final decision.

So far, only 200 short listed candidates have managed to run 3.5km (2.2 miles) in under 20 minutes and pass a medical. ”

Looks like the runaway success (commercial and promotional) of reality TV shows can really make a difference – the ministry could even recoup part of their investment for the space program with the revenues from the SMS voting. The cost for the space program is estimated to be around US$2.5 million, and the first Malaysian astronaut is due to take part in a Russian-led mission in 2007.

I can’t wait to take out my Palm Treo 650 smartphone and vote for my choice.

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Filed under: Mobile World

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