Yi So-yeon |
By Cho Jin-seo
Staff Reporter
Korea's first astronaut Yi So-yeon was undergoing thorough medical examinations at an Air Force hospital due to the shock she suffered during her rough landing.
She was hospitalized at the Aerospace Medical Institution in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, Tuesday morning. Her original schedule, including a meeting with the science minister, was postponed indefinitely.
``We don't think she has any major health problems. But we have to wait for the results to decide on her schedule,'' said Jung Gyeong-taek, a manager at the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology.
Yi returned to earth on April 19 from her 12-day trip to the International Space Station aboard a Russian spaceship. The Soyuz landing module reentered the atmosphere at a faster speed than expected and the landing delivered a severe physical shock to the three astronauts inside it, officials in Moscow and Seoul said.
Arriving at Incheon International Airport Monday morning, Yi looked exhausted and unwell, though she spoke in clear voice and smiled occasionally. The 29-year-old frowned and groaned when hugged by her enthusiastic mother, complaining that the pain in her back has not subsided.
``It seems that she received a shock to her neck, shoulders and back when she landed,'' Colonel Jung Gi-young was quoted as saying by the Munhwa Ilbo daily. He has been attending to Yi and Ko San, the backup astronaut, ever since they were selected for the space program. ``X-rays showed that there are no broken bones. But we need to do more examinations to see whether she strained her muscles or nerves.''
Yi was to visit the ministry on Tuesday to report on her mission to Minister Kim Do-yeon. She also planned to visit Cheong Wa Dae to meet with President Lee Myung-bak sometime this week.
Korea's first space mission took off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on April 8. Yi spent nine trouble-free days on board the International Space Station. But the Soyuz spaceship reentered in an abnormal position and began a parabolic descent that it could have killed Yi and her crewmates Peggy Whitson of the United States and Yuri Malenchenko of Russia, officials of the Korea Aerospace Research Agency have said.
The capsule landed on grassland about 420 kilometers off target. Photos of the scene showed the capsule lying on its side, embedded in the ground.
The Russian space agency as well as its Korean counterpart hasn't officially announced the reason for the irregular landing.
In addition to the crew's safety issue, the astronaut project has received cynical responses from some Korean citizens about its cost effectiveness. The government has spent some 25 billion won on it, hoping to raise public awareness of costly space projects such as building of its own rocket.
indizio@koreatimes.co.kr
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"北 GPS공격 중단시점, 中이 알게된 때와 같아"
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