.jpg) Korea’s two astronaut candidates Ko San, right, and Yi So-yeon raise their fists after a press conference held at the Gwacheon Government Complex, south of Seoul, Monday. / Yonhap |
By Kim Tae-gyu
Staff Reporter
A strong young man and a healthy young woman stand in front of a mob of reporters. They look ordinary now but one of them will be famous early next year _ Korea's first astronaut.
The man is Ko San, 31, a former researcher at the Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology, while the woman is Yi So-yeon, 29, an erstwhile doctoral student from the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology.
One of the two finalists, who survived several screening processes among 36,000-plus applicants to become the first Korean to go into orbit, will be picked next month as the eventual winner to travel into space next March.
They started an intensive training regimen in Russia in March and may have been stressed out due to the two-way rivalry. But they seem to be mature enough to stand such pressure.
``Of course I sometimes feel stressed due to the competition but it helps both of us improve. I am thankful for positive competition as it stimulates me,'' Yi said in a press meeting after coming back here for summer vacation and other events.
``One thing I can say for sure is that we should cooperate regardless of the results and we are determined to do our best to help each other,'' she said.
Ko concurs: ``I think the sense of competition is not so bad. I will pull out all the stops to become a better astronaut candidate.''
The remarks are in line with their previous promises they made to each other late last December after being handpicked as the two finalists.
Back then, Ko pledged to carry one of Yi's items with him into space and he will make a call to her before he calls anybody else at the orbit should he beat Yi. Yi responded she will do the same if she defeats Ko.
They will return to Russia on Aug. 26.
Either Ko or Yi will have the chance to experience the weightlessness of space in person as the priority candidate. The other will be a reserve and will continue with the remaining training sessions.
The successful astronaut will lift off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, located in Kazakhstan, aboard a three-seated Soyuz spacecraft in late March or early April 2008 together with two other crew members _ a pilot and an engineer.
It will take roughly 48 hours for them to reach the International Space Station where the Korean astronaut will spend seven or eight days before returning to Earth.
Ko or Yi have to conduct a total of 18 experiments in micro-gravity during the short stay there including evaluating a zero gravity weighting device and Korean traditional foods adapted for space travel to name a few.
Then, the astronaut will land on the Steppes near the Cosmodrome and go through a two-week recovery process in Russia before returning home.
The Korean astronaut is expected to receive a hero's welcome and will play a crucial role in attracting the interest of people to the potential-rich space development industry.
voc200@koreatimes.co.kr
