The space shuttle mission is to the International Space Station

Piers Sellers, who is originally from Crowborough, East Sussex, and went to Cranbrook School, Kent, had his debut flight more than two years ago.

The "return to flight" mission is designed to test modifications after the Columbia shuttle disaster.

Dr Sellers is training at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, US.

"As soon as I landed from the last flight, I kept thinking I can't wait to go back and see that and do some of that again," he told BBC South East Today in Houston.

Family support

"I am really, really looking forward to it."

His wife, Mandy, said: "He wanted to return to space and return to flight and he wanted to be successful and you want to support that.

"But there is a little part of you that's just scared that something is going to go wrong because we lost good friends on the last shuttle."

The orbiter Columbia disintegrated over Texas on re-entry in 2003, killing the seven astronauts on board.

Dr Sellers had trained with some of the astronauts who died.

For his next mission in September he has been designated the lead space-walker, when he will be trying out and pioneering some new repair techniques while the shuttle is in orbit.

Dr Sellers became only the third Briton to go into space when he completed an 11-day mission to the International Space Station in October 2002.