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Message: <blockquote data-quote="jombiee" data-source="post: 1191558" data-attributes="member: 9222">got this from space.comFebruary 9 Competition Heats Up for Malaysia’s Astronaut HopefulsKUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) – A dentist, a car designer and a female engineer are among eight people remaining in the race to become Malaysia's first astronaut. The eight, whose names were announced by the government late Wednesday, underwent a battery of physical and psychological examinations to outlast more than 11,000 other Malaysians who applied for the selection process in 2003. Four will be shortlisted next month to travel to Russia for a medical test that will whittle their ranks to two finalists, who will undergo 18 months of training at the Russian Space Agency in Moscow, said Science and Technology Minister Jamaluddin Jarjis. But only one will have the chance to spend up to 10 days in October 2007 in a planned scientific expedition on board the International Space Station, the minister said. S. Vanajah, the only woman among the final eight, voiced hopes that she would inspire other Malaysian women to participate in science-related projects, saying her achievement proved that women could compete alongside men in rigorous trials. “Becoming an astronaut is the pinnacle of success for a person,'' Vanajah, a 35-year-old quality engineer, told the national news agency, Bernama. Her competitors comprise two pilots, a military dental surgeon, a doctor, an automotive designer and two other engineers, whose ages range from 25 to 36. Officials have estimated Malaysia's space program will ultimately cost around US$25 million (euro20 million), but it will be offset as part of a US$900 million (euro750 million) defense deal struck with Moscow in 2003 to buy 18 Sukhoi Su-30 MKM fighter jets. ...........................................true ?</blockquote>