Astronauts Visit Home With 100 Days Left

By Cho Jin-seo

Staff Reporter

South Korea's two astronauts returned home from training at Russia's space center last week for a short vacation with their families and friends.

Ko San and Yi So-yeon will have a four-day vacation from this Saturday until next Tuesday, with exactly 100 days left until D-day. Ko, a 31-year-old computer engineer, is the main candidate for the flight to the International Space Station (ISS) planned for April 8. Yi, a 28-year-old bio scientist, is his back-up.

``Time flies very fast in Russia. Four months have passed since our last visit. It's really good to be at home for Christmas and year-end holidays,'' Ko said in Monday's press meeting at the government complex in Gwacheon, south of Seoul. One of his wishes while in Seoul is to meet his girlfriend, he said.

After the vacation, Ko and Yi will be trained for the 18 scientific experiments they will undertake aboard the ISS, which is traveling 340 kilometers above the earth at an average speed of 27,700 kilometers per hour. They will then leave for Houston to learn about the U.S. facilities on the ISS.

``Among the 18 experiments we have to do in space, I think the educational ones are the most important. One of our missions in space is to show space to the younger generation, and to expand their horizons and dreams,'' Ko said.

When compared to space projects of China and Japan, the 12-day trip to the ISS on a Russian rocket may look rudimentary. But it is the first step in South Korea's plan to become a space powerhouse. The next will be the opening of the country's first space rocket launching site on the southwestern island of Oinarudo next August.

``Some people have raised objections about this astronaut project, saying it is too expensive. But I believe it is the best way to get the maximum results from a minimum investment, considering anything regarding space is expensive,'' Ko said while having lunch with reporters. ``There are only a few countries that have space rockets. For other countries, it is inevitable to cooperate with those and I think it is a very good start.''

``We are being sent as scouts,'' Yi said. ``When you plan a travel to somewhere, what you need most is advice from people who have already been there. It's just like that. There can be unexpected difficulties out in space, and we will be able to provide first-hand information for future space missions.''

Ko earned his bachelor's and master's degrees from Seoul National University. From 2001, he served two years as a KATUSA (Korean Augmentation to U.S. Army) soldier in Camp Henry in Daegu before working for Samsung Group's research lab.

Both Ko and Yi are now employed as researchers by the Korea Aerospace Research Institute. They are expected to work for the agency's future projects such as the moon rover project planned for 2017, as well as various promotional activities.

It seems obvious that they will become national celebrities once the trip is televised live in April, but Ko said he actually doesn't enjoy such attention. Some have even insinuated that he could pursuit a political career after his voyage, but that is the last thing he has on his mind at least at this point, Ko said.

``Speaking on TV is the hardest part of being an astronaut. I would be very happy if I can devote myself solely to the training,'' he said. ``I don't dream of being a politician because I'm not prepared for that. I hate seeing ill-equipped people trying to be politicians.''

indizio@koreatimes.co.kr