BAIKONUR. June 6 (Interfax-AVN) - Japanese astronaut Satoshi Furukawa, whose space mission begins in the small morning hours of June 8, will hold cancer cure experiments aboard the International Space Station (ISS).
"We will hold a protein crystallization experiment onboard the ISS. Scientists are focused on protein, which will help combat cancer," he told a pre-flight press conference in Baikonur on Monday.
Cancer grows with food supplied by blood vessels, "and we will defeat cancer if we find a way to block this supply," Furukawa said.
The experiment aims to develop a block for cancer cells, he remarked.
NASA astronaut Michael Fossum, who will fly to the ISS together with Furukawa, said that space food was edible and tasty but he would miss fresh fruit and vegetables.
Fresh fruit and vegetables are good but French fries are also rare on the ISS menu, Russian astronaut Sergei Volkov said.
Furukawa said he would like to eat sushi and sashimi.