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The Expedition 16 crew members pose for a portrait at the Johnson Space Center. From the left (front row) are Russia's Federal Space Agency cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko, flight engineer and Soyuz commander; astronaut Peggy Whitson, commander; and Malaysian spaceflight participant Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor. From the left (back row) are European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Léopold Eyharts, astronaut Garrett Reisman and astronaut Dan Tani, all flight engineers.

KUALA LUMPUR: Just weeks before the first Malaysian blasts off into space a curious controversy has arisen over, of all things his job title.

Like all International Space Station (ISS) expedition members, Dr Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor's photograph was posted on Nasa's official website. While he looks as handsome as ever in the picture
taken at the Johnson Space Centre in Texas, what has upset many Malaysians is his designation.

The Internet has been buzzing, with email flying back and forth, that instead of calling him an astronaut Nasa
referred to him as Malaysian "space flight participant", a term reserved for space tourists.

"It was kind of disappointing that Nasa didn't call him an astronaut. He's been through all kinds of tests for so long. Why isn't he recognised as a
proper astronaut?" asked Nur Alifah Mohamad Naba, 25.

The photograph of the Expedition 16 crew members shows Sheikh Muszaphar posing with Russia's Federal Space Agency cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko, astronaut Peggy Whitson, European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Léopold Eyharts, astronaut Garrett Reisman and astronaut
Dan Tani.

Only Sheikh Muszaphar was not referred to as an astronaut or a cosmonaut. This has led to some confusion over what the designation of our Malaysian space traveller actually is.

American space tourists Dennis Tito, Gregory Olsen and Charles Simonyi, who all paid for their trips into space, were called space flight participants, as were South African Mark Shuttleworth and Iranian Anousheh Ansari.

According to the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, an astronaut or cosmonaut "is a person trained by a human space flight programme to command, pilot, or serve as a spacecraft crewman".

Both Malaysian candidates received training for space flight in Russia, but it is unclear whether they received the same training as the Russian cosmonauts.

Sheikh Muszaphar will blast off on Oct 10 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in
Kazakhstan. The Soyuz spacecraft will dock with the ISS on Oct 12.

While the rest of his teammates on Expedition 16 are slated to remain there until spring next year, he will spend
only 10 days there -returning with members of an earlier expedition.

Meanwhile, Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Datuk Seri Dr Jamaluddin Jarjis said titles were of little significance compared with the trip to space.

"Let Nasa give him whatever title they want.

"What is important is that Russia recognises him as a cosmonaut," he said at a buka puasa event organised by his
ministry at the Putra World Trade Centre