Korean Astronaut Program
{{Use American English|date=June 2019}}
{{Short description|Program that sent first South Korean to space in 2008}}
{{Infobox Korean name
|hangul=한국 우주인 배출 사업
|hanja =韓國宇宙人輩出事業
|rr=Hanguk ujuin baechul saeop
|mr=Han'guk ujuin paech'ul saŏp
}}
The Korean Astronaut Program ({{Korean|hangul=한국 우주인 배출 사업}}) was an initiative by the South Korean government to send the first Korean into space via the Russian space program. A ten day flight to the International Space Station (ISS) with astronaut Yi So-yeon occurred in 2008.{{update after|2019|9|15}}
First astronaut class
Image:Yi+Malenchenko+Whitson at ISS 08Apr17 (NASA-ISS016-E-036365).jpg (right), Expedition 16 commander, and Russian Federal Space Agency cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko (middle), flight engineer, at the International Space Station in April 2008.]]
On December 25, 2006, two candidates—one woman and one man—were selected by South Korea during a ceremony held at SBS television center in Dungchon-dong, Seoul. This choice was the result of a comprehensive selection process which started with the screening of 36,000 applications.{{cite web|url=http://times.hankooki.com/lpage/tech/200612/kt2006122521203411810.htm|title=lpage/tech/200612/kt2006122521203411810|publisher=Times.hankooki.com|accessdate=2014-08-26|archive-date=2007-01-12|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070112195517/http://times.hankooki.com/lpage/tech/200612/kt2006122521203411810.htm|url-status=dead}}
- Ko San (36, male, unmarried, researcher at Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology){{cite web|url=http://www.spacefacts.de/bios/international/english/go_san.htm|title=Cosmonaut Biography: Ko San|author=Joachim Becker|publisher=spacefacts.de|accessdate=2014-08-26}}
- Yi So-yeon (34, female, unmarried, researcher at the KAIST){{cite web|url=http://www.spacefacts.de/bios/international/english/lee_so-hyun.htm|title=Cosmonaut Biography: Yi Soyeon|author=Joachim Becker|publisher=spacefacts.de|accessdate=2014-08-26}}
=Other finalists=
The eight other finalists were:
- Park Ji-young (23, female, master's course student at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology) {{cite web|url=http://www.spacefacts.de/bios/candidates/english/park_ji-young.htm|title=Biographies of Astronaut and Cosmonaut Candidates: Ji-young Park|author=Joachim Becker|publisher=spacefacts.de|accessdate=2014-08-26}}
- Yun Seok-oh (29, male, unmarried, official at Hanyang University) {{cite web|url=http://www.spacefacts.de/bios/candidates/english/yoon_seok-oh.htm|title=Biographies of Astronaut and Cosmonaut Candidates: Seok-oh Yoon|author=Joachim Becker|publisher=spacefacts.de|accessdate=2014-08-26}}
- Lee Jin-young (36, male, married, squadron leader at Republic of Korea Air Force) {{cite web|url=http://www.spacefacts.de/bios/candidates/english/lee_jin-young.htm|title=Biographies of Astronaut and Cosmonaut Candidates: Jin-young Lee|author=Joachim Becker|publisher=spacefacts.de|accessdate=2014-08-26}}
- Jang Joon-sung (25, male, unmarried, lieutenant at Bucheon Nambu Police Station) {{cite web|url=http://www.spacefacts.de/bios/candidates/english/jang_jun-seong.htm|title=Biographies of Astronaut and Cosmonaut Candidates: Jun-seong Jang|author=Joachim Becker|publisher=spacefacts.de|accessdate=2014-08-26}}
- Ryu Jeong-won (33, male, married, chief technology officer at IT Magic Co.) {{cite web|url=http://www.spacefacts.de/bios/candidates/english/ryu_jeong-won.htm|title=Biographies of Astronaut and Cosmonaut Candidates: Jeong-won Ryu|author=Joachim Becker|publisher=spacefacts.de|accessdate=2014-08-26}}
- Lee Han-gyu (33, male, unmarried, researcher at Samsung SDI) {{cite web|url=http://www.spacefacts.de/bios/candidates/english/lee_han-gyu.htm|title=Biographies of Astronaut and Cosmonaut Candidates: Han-gyu Lee|author=Joachim Becker|publisher=spacefacts.de|accessdate=2014-08-26}}
- Choi Ah-jeong (24, female, unmarried, master's course student at Seoul National University) {{cite web|url=http://www.spacefacts.de/bios/candidates/english/choi_ah-jeong.htm|title=Biographies of Astronaut and Cosmonaut Candidates: Ah-jeong Choi|author=Joachim Becker|publisher=spacefacts.de|accessdate=2014-08-26}}
- Kim Young-min (33, male, married, researcher at Korea Basic Science Institute) {{cite web|url=http://www.spacefacts.de/bios/candidates/english/kim_young-min.htm|title=Biographies of Astronaut and Cosmonaut Candidates: Young-min Kim|author=Joachim Becker|publisher=spacefacts.de|accessdate=2014-08-26}}
=First space mission=
The winning pair was sent to Russia in early 2007 to undergo a 15-month training course at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center near Moscow.
On September 5, 2007, Ko San was named as the prime candidate, whilst Yi So-yeon served as his backup.{{cite web|url=http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/techscience/2007/09/05/68/0601000000AEN20070905003600320F.HTML|title=YONHAP NEWS|publisher=english.yonhapnews.co.kr|accessdate=2014-08-26}} However, on March 10, 2008 it was announced that the prime candidate would be changed to Yi So-yeon due to several violations of training protocol by Ko San. Ko San served as backup.{{cite web|url=http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/techscience/2008/03/10/7/0601000000AEN20080310003900320F.HTML|title=YONHAP NEWS|publisher=english.yonhapnews.co.kr|accessdate=2014-08-26}}
On April 8, 2008 Yi So-yeon took off from the Baikonur{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7335874.stm|title=BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | First S Korean astronaut launches|publisher=news.bbc.co.uk|accessdate=2014-08-26}} space center in Kazakhstan at 11:16 GMT aboard Soyuz TMA-12. She spent ten days conducting scientific experiments aboard the International Space Station.{{cite news|title=Yi describes bone-jarring return to Earth |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna24238036|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210128032653/https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna24238036|url-status=dead|archive-date=January 28, 2021|author=David Nowak|date=April 21, 2008|publisher=NBC News|access-date=April 10, 2023}}
It cost South Korea approximately 26 billion won (US$28 million) to pay for the training and spaceflight.{{cite news|title=First Korean astronaut to take soil into space
|author=Irene Klotz|date=January 15, 2008|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/science-space-station-korea-dc-idUKN1513299920080115|publisher=Reuters|access-date=April 10, 2023}}
=Post-first mission=
In 2014, Yi So-yeon resigned from the program to pursue an MBA, which was incompatible with continuing as an astronaut.{{cite news |url= http://www.space-travel.com/reports/Yi_So-yeon_Koreas_first_and_only_astronaut_resigns_999.html |title= Yi So-yeon, Korea's first and only astronaut, resigns |author= Brooks Hays |work= UPI |publisher= SpaceDaily |date= 14 August 2014 }}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20071014055009/http://woojuro.or.kr/ The Korean astronaut program]
{{South Korean Space Program}}