The 35-year-old said he hopes to become a pilot after finishing his contract with Malaysia's Science, Technology and Innovation Ministry.

'The reason I do many things in life is to see how far I can go,' Dr Muszaphar said during a visit to Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) in Penang on Saturday. 'I encourage everyone to diversify.'

The doctor also has other plans up his sleeve. The part-time model, who owns a restaurant in Kuala Lumpur, wants to work with children in Africa.

He has written a book about his selection as an astronaut and his experiences in space which will be released in July, he said.

But before that, Dr Muszaphar wants to release a book penned by his late brother about a sibling's perspective on the journey to become an 'angkasawan', or astronaut in the Malay language.

Sheikh Mustafa Shukor Al Masrie, 32, died of head injuries following an accident days after Dr Muszaphar returned to earth in October.

'As a tribute to him, I'm releasing his book first next month,' he said.

Dr Muszaphar, on a one-day visit to the USM campus, said his brother had graduated from the university.

'This is the first university I have visited to share my experiences from space,' he told participants at a forum on space exploration and the nation's space programme.

THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK