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alokmohan
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Malaysia, whose first astronaut is at the International Space Station, will send a second citizen into space in the next two years, the science minister said according to repor<br /> <br />Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor, a 35-year-old doctor and part-time model, blasted off Wednesday aboard a Russian Soyuz space craft with Russian cosmonaut Yury Malenchenko and NASA's Peggy Whitson.<br /><br />Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Jamaluddin Jarjis said from Moscow that Muszaphar's back-up candidate, Faiz Khaleed, would become Malaysia's next astronaut or "angkasawan" in the Malay language.<br /><br />"Captain doctor Faiz Khaleed will be the primary angkasawan and the next mission, probably in 2008 or 2009, should have him doing more challenging tasks," Jamaluddin said according to the New Straits Times.<br /><br />"This could involve him doing a space walk or conducting repairs to the spacecraft," he said.<br /><br />"I hope to submit a proposal http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20071013/sc_afp/malaysiarussiaspace<br />