Next year, the first Malaysian astronaut in space aboard a Russian rocket will try to make the nation's favorite hot drink, teh tarik.

"The physics experiment is to see what happens to teh tarik in space," Haniff Omar, head of Malaysia's astronaut selection program, told Reuters.

Concocting teh tarik (pulled tea) can be hard even with gravity. The boiling-hot milky tea must be quickly shifted from one vessel held high in one hand into another held low to achieve the signature layer of froth.

Making teh tarik in space would bring Malaysian customs to the attention of a worldwide audience, said Faiz Khaleed, one of the astronaut candidates.

"Teh tarik is one of the symbols of Malaysia," he explained. "I think this is a good idea also to bring something from our country so the world can learn something about our country."

Russia had bundled a free trip into space aboard a Soyuz spacecraft to Malaysia three years ago for a $900-million sale of Russian-made fighter planes.

An estimated 12,000 Malaysians applied for the opportunity to be an astronaut with 894 men and women selected for the first round of fitness tests.

Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi announced doctor Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor and military dentist,Faiz Khaleed, as the finalists.

Russian space experts will have decide on one of the two Muslim men to be sent into orbit next year.