Malaysia's soon-to-be first astronaut Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor said on Thursday he hoped to fast aboard the International Space Station as he visits there during the holy month of Ramadan.

Muszaphar, who is expected to travel to the ISS aboard a Russian Soyuz rocket on October 10, acknowledged that following the normal prayer regime might be difficult, but said that Islam was a "lenient" religion and compatible with space travel.

"Of course if we can't do our responsibilities in space we're allowed to do it when we come back. But as a Muslim I do hope to do my responsibilities. I do hope to fast in space," he told journalists at Russia's Star City training centre outside Moscow.

"Islam is very lenient. If I can't fast in space I can always come back and do it at a later time, but I will discuss it in detail with my commander," he said.

Muszaphar, a 35-year-old doctor and part-time model has been training at Star City for the last year alongside reserve candidate Faiz Khaleed, 27.

He will visit the ISS with professional Russian cosmonaut Yury Malenchenko and American Peggy Whitson, spending about nine days there before returning to Earth with the current crew.

Ahead of his voyage, Malaysia's Department of Islamic Development has issued a 20-page book of guidelines on observing Ramadan in space.

Otherwise, because the space station circles the Earth 16 times a day, a Muslim would theoretically have to pray 80 times a day.

But the guidelines stipulate that the astronaut need only pray five times a day, just as on Earth, and that the times should follow the location from which the spacecraft blasted off -- in this case, the Baikonur launch pad in Russia's neighbour Kazakhstan.

He said he had been inspired by the example of the first ever man in space, Russian Yury Gagarin, and hoped to pass on his enthusiasm to other Malaysians, via a tele-conference connecting him to his country and a radio link-up with students.

"I'm hoping to become like Yury Gagarin. I remember when I was a child I read a lot about him. He has inspired me so much in my life and I can see how he inspired all the Russians," he said.

"I do hope to become like Yury Gagarin and to spark an interest among the Malaysian people, especially school children."

The booklet of Islamic guidelines that Muszaphar has been issued with covers among other things washing rituals required before prayer, saying that if water is not available the astronaut can symbolically "sweep holy dust" onto the face and hands "even if there is no dust" in the space station.

There are also suggestions on how to pray in a zero-gravity environment.

"During the prayer ritual, if you can't stand up straight, you can hunch. If you can't stand, you can sit. If you can't sit, you should lie down," it says.

And in the unlikely event a Muslim astronaut dies in space, his body should be brought back to Earth for the usual burial rituals, failing which it should be "interred" in Space after a brief ceremony. No details of this are given.

The project to send a Malaysian to space was conceived in 2003 when Russia agreed to send a Malaysian to the ISS as part of Malaysia's billion-dollar purchase of 18 Sukhoi 30-MKM fighter jets.

Russia has taken a series of "space tourists" to the ISS, most of them private businesspeople who have typically paid about 20 million dollars (14 million euros) for the ride.

However Muszaphar said he was planning to help with scientific experiments on board. Among other things the Soyuz will be taking cancer cells into space to study the effect on them of the weightless environment.

Muszaphar said he only regretted he had not been able to travel to Siberia for the winter survival part of his training.