Hypothetically, Iranian-born space passenger Anousheh Ansari might have had a chance of changing the timing for the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. The start of the month is determined by the first sighting of the lunar crescent after the new-moon phase - and Ansari, a Muslim, would have had a unique perspective on the moon, unimpeded by Earth's atmosphere. There's usually a bit of debate over what constitutes a valid sighting, or whether a sighting is even strictly necessary.
But there was no need to draw Ansari into this year's debate: On her Weblog, X Prize founder Peter Diamandis quotes Ansari as saying that she hadn't had a chance to see the moon during the critical time. So that's at least one religious controversy averted...
