Furukawa airs hopes for ISS mission in '11

Astronaut Satoshi Furukawa expressed his hope of contributing to the field of life sciences as a crew member of a six-month mission to the International Space Station beginning around spring 2011.

Psyched: Astronaut Satoshi Furukawa holds a news conference in Tokyo on Monday about his six-month mission set to begin in spring 2011. KYODO PHOTO

"I want to contribute to life science experiments and hope this will help prepare for a time in the near future when anyone can go into space easily," the 44-year-old doctor told a news conference Monday in Tokyo.

Recalling when he was notified in December that he had been chosen as a crew member, he said he felt he had "finally got a (starter's) uniform number," like a baseball player stepping up to play in a game after years of practice.

"I feel that continuing with things becomes empowering," said Furukawa, who officially became an astronaut in 2001.