Question about Muslim astronauts:

I have asked this question in debates and spirituality but gotten no response:
Muslims have to pray in the direction of Mecca so how do you do that if you are in orbit around the earth? The direction to Mecca changes so fast I don't see how that could be done.

Originally posted by sonhouse
I have asked this question in debates and spirituality but gotten no response:
Muslims have to pray in the direction of Mecca so how do you do that if you are in orbit around the earth? The direction to Mecca changes so fast I don't see how that could be done.

What kind of orbit?

Originally posted by XanthosNZ
What kind of orbit?

Well you get two basic kinds, circular and elliptical, take your pick.

Originally posted by sonhouse
Well you get two basic kinds, circular and elliptical, take your pick.

There are more than two basic kinds, thare are also polar orbits and equatorial orbits.

But apart from that - the kind of orbit seems not to have any relevance of the queston stated? Where do I miss anything?

Originally posted by FabianFnas
There are more than two basic kinds, thare are also polar orbits and equatorial orbits.

But apart from that - the kind of orbit seems not to have any relevance of the queston stated? Where do I miss anything?

It would change how fast the angle to Mecca changed.

Assuming the station you're in keeps one face to the earth all the time:

Generally, it wouldn't be too hard, you might be a couple of degrees of occasionally.

If the station you're in is in stationary orbit, you'd have no problem at all. Mekka would always be at the same spot.

Originally posted by TheMaster37
Assuming the station you're in keeps one face to the earth all the time:

Generally, it wouldn't be too hard, you might be a couple of degrees of occasionally.

If the station you're in is in stationary orbit, you'd have no problem at all. Mekka would always be at the same spot.

Yes, that would work except for the part that the reason for low earth orbits is its safer, if you had to live at the geosynchronous height
you would need a lot of extra radiation shielding but the theory is right. You could be orbiting almost directly above mecca since it's close to the equator. Seems to me that any low earth orbit from polar to equatorial would present pretty much the same problem, maybe there could be an orbit that at least reduces the computational load to figure it out, not that such orbital mechanics is THAT big a deal to modern PC's.

Another problem Muslims have (?) is about the month of Ramadan.

(1) Ramadan is a month whit a different dates from year to year. So Ramadan may well occur around winter solstice. (Correct me if I'm wrong.)

(2) During Ramadan a true Muslim has to fast during daytime. Daytime is between sun rising and sun setting. You can only eat when the sun is down. (Correct me if I'm wrong.)

North of the polar circle the sun is never rising around winter solstice. There is no daylight. For example in the Swedish city of Kiruna, far up in the north. How can they survive during the wintertime Ramadan?

In orbit, when do Muslims eat and when do they fast? I think a low orbit takes around 90 minutes of which 45 minutes you can't see the sun. Is that period considered being night, and the other 45 minutes being day? And in this case - how many days is Ramadan?

Forgive me my ignorance of Muslim traditions. The questions are only about practicalities and not about faith.

Originally posted by FabianFnas
(2) During Ramadan a true Muslim has to fast during daytime. Daytime is between sun rising and sun setting. You can only eat when the sun is down. (Correct me if I'm wrong.)

North of the polar circle the sun is never rising around winter solstice. There is no daylight. For example in the Swedish city of Kiruna, far up in the north. How can they survive during the wintertime Ramadan?

Seems no problem to me. They can eat all "day" long, since the sun never rises.

Originally posted by crazyblue
Seems no problem to me. They can eat all "day" long, since the sun never rises.

Oh, sorry, your'e perfectly right.

I meant the other solstice, not the winter one.
At Kiruna at *summer* solstice, when the sun never sets, when the sun is up 24 hours a day - when do they eat? Or do they starve to death?

Originally posted by FabianFnas
Oh, sorry, your'e perfectly right.

I meant the other solstice, not the winter one.
At Kiruna at *summer* solstice, when the sun never sets, when the sun is up 24 hours a day - when do they eat? Or do they starve to death?

It's against Sharia Law for Muslims to go that far north or south.

Muslims don't believe in outer space.

Originally posted by XanthosNZ
What kind of orbit?

That one. Why does "it" come down to one proton and one orbit? Just wonderin'

Originally posted by TheMaster37
Assuming the station you're in keeps one face to the earth all the time:

Mekka would always be at the same spot.

Unless, of course, you forget you are talking about religion instead of something else. Besides the "speeds" of the capitals wouldn't match up anyway.

But..

The earth is moving at the same speed anyway, and the dome is on top of itself, so when you are on top of it, since it's on the earth anyway, nothing,s gonna' change.

So...

As you can "plainly" seek..

it's kind of a silly question..

unless you are talking about "adding" and extra proton to the "insides" -'of the first orbit'- anyway..

then the "whole size" is going to change dramatically...

making the "speed" of a straight line, the linear in this case anway irrelevant. It will increase, making moot the point of no "return", if i am able.

So it doesn't really matter what direction you are pointing in the first place, as long as you know what you are doing.

Originally posted by eldragonfly
That one. Why does "it" come down to one proton and one orbit? Just wonderin'

What the hell?

Originally posted by eldragonfly
Unless, of course, you forget you are talking about religion instead of something else. Besides the "speeds" of the capitals wouldn't match up anyway.

But..

The earth is moving at the same speed anyway, and the dome is on top of itself, so when you are on top of it, since it's on the earth anyway, nothing,s gonna' change.

So...

As you can " ou are pointing in the first place, as long as you know what you are doing.

No really, what the hell?