which includes the delightful checklist for how to orient yourself for daily prayers: towards the kaaba if you can, if not then the kaaba’s projection
In Low Earth Orbit (LEO) where the ISS orbits, its only about 200 miles straight up. It also makes a complete orbit of the Earth every 90 minutes with the Earth rotating underneath it to produce a zig zag pattern to an observer on a flat plane.
Because the ISS and the Earth are moving so fast, that would mean if you were oriented properly facing Kaaba when you started your prayer, pretty quickly during your prayer you’re not going to be facing it anymore. Is the prayer still proper as long as it starts when you’re facing Kaaba? Do you have to reorient yourself at the beginning of the next prayer?
I suppose with only the friction of air in the ISS against your body and you waited until the ISS was at apogee or perigee you could get one of your fellow Astronauts/Cosmonauts to orient you and impart a very slow rotation on your body matching the half the orbital period while being pointed to Kaaba’s (projection into space). That would buy you 45 minutes at the most assuming you’re at apogee or perigee. Hmm, there would also have to be a few orbits this wouldn’t work where Kaaba would be “east” relative to the Astronaut at apogee, but transits Kaaba during the orbit causing Kaaba to then be behind the Astronaut or now “west”.
Such precision isn’t required by the religion, but it is an interesting problem. Facing Mecca for prayers from anywhere in the world and determining prayer timings were scientific problems that drove early Muslims make advancements in astronomy, cartography, etc.
In Low Earth Orbit (LEO) where the ISS orbits, its only about 200 miles straight up. It also makes a complete orbit of the Earth every 90 minutes with the Earth rotating underneath it to produce a zig zag pattern to an observer on a flat plane.
Because the ISS and the Earth are moving so fast, that would mean if you were oriented properly facing Kaaba when you started your prayer, pretty quickly during your prayer you’re not going to be facing it anymore. Is the prayer still proper as long as it starts when you’re facing Kaaba? Do you have to reorient yourself at the beginning of the next prayer?
I suppose with only the friction of air in the ISS against your body and you waited until the ISS was at apogee or perigee you could get one of your fellow Astronauts/Cosmonauts to orient you and impart a very slow rotation on your body matching the half the orbital period while being pointed to Kaaba’s (projection into space). That would buy you 45 minutes at the most assuming you’re at apogee or perigee. Hmm, there would also have to be a few orbits this wouldn’t work where Kaaba would be “east” relative to the Astronaut at apogee, but transits Kaaba during the orbit causing Kaaba to then be behind the Astronaut or now “west”.
Its a fascinating problem!
Such precision isn’t required by the religion, but it is an interesting problem. Facing Mecca for prayers from anywhere in the world and determining prayer timings were scientific problems that drove early Muslims make advancements in astronomy, cartography, etc.