Korea’s first Astronaut/Space tourist (you pick one) has returned safely to Earth after spending 12 days in space:
South Korea’s first astronaut, Yi So-yeon, has landed safety in Kazakhstan after spending 12 days in space, the Russian Federal Space Agency said Saturday.
The agency said that the Soyuz TMA-11, carrying Yi, U.S. astronaut Peggy Whitson and Russian cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko, made a dry-land crashdown 420 kilometers from the designated landing site.
"All three cosmonauts are healthy and in good condition," said Anatoly Perminov, the director of the Russian space agency. [Yonhap]
Congratulations to Yi for accomplishing a dream of a life a time and a safe return to Earth. It will be interesting to see in the coming years if this was just a flag waving exercise or really the start to beginning a legitimate space program.
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10:12 am on April 20th, 2008 1
From what I have read, the 420 kms off course was a major miscalculation on the part of the Russians. And it is a continuing miscalculation. The Entry vehicle was in a much steeper entry than planned and the reached the 10G level for the cosmonauts inside. It seems only a matter of time before some of the “Space tourists” get killed.
10:47 am on April 20th, 2008 2
As the saying goes, you get what you pay for. 10 G’s though is an awful lot of G’s to be pulling. Fortunately they all made it back alright.
10:51 am on April 20th, 2008 3
4:08 pm on April 20th, 2008 4
They’ve already made an investment towards commercial space ops with the upcoming opening of their spaceport. This poses a serious problem for the region because of their expansion of “regional” airlines and intent to become the “hub” of Asia. They are on their way to getting a lot of people killed if they cannot integrate all of these competing interests safely.
12:17 am on April 21st, 2008 5
First words of Yi So Yeon on Earth after landing
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRp3EHND-3Y
with translation in English
2:32 am on April 21st, 2008 6
Quasi,
You reference to airspace safety is not unfounded, and it has both physical and political aspects.
Korea faces a serious launch safety corridor issue. Though previous blogging touched on the notional issue of geo versus polar orbits, Korea is essentially bound to polar launches. Otherwise, they would have to launch to the northeast over Japan. Ya think this might cause issues?
Even a Korean polar launch would still require the rocket to travel over the Japanese Ryukyu Island chain, which the Japanese may choose to formally protest.
Also, don’t buy into this notion of an expansive Korean commercial launch industry. Though “Hyundai” or “Samsung” may get stamped on the rocket, the cost inefficiency and mission profile of polar launches requires heavy government subsidization. Foreign launch customers will probably go elsewhere.
10:10 pm on April 21st, 2008 7
Yi was bad luck. Said the russians.
“Challenged by a reporter, Perminov responded: “This isn’t discrimination. I’m just saying that when a majority (of the crew) is female, sometimes certain kinds of unsanctioned behaviour or something else occurs, that’s what I’m talking about.” ”
I wonder what she was up to?
hxxp://www.edmontonsun.com/News/World/2008/04/20/5337751-sun.html
1:44 am on April 22nd, 2008 8
It’s good to have our astronaut (or space tourist) back safe and alive. She cost us 30 million dollars.
Now, for those who have been bashing Korea for sending a “tourist” to space, wouldn’t it be a total disaster if Korean space program starts bearing fruits as a result of her “pick nick” in space?
She is a hero. She had to defeat thousands of contenders to be selected, and than risked her life flying in a vehicle loaded of tons of flammable combustible, than she had to spend 10 days confined in a can surrounded by a hostile environment where live is impossible, and finally had to face the risk of returning to earth knowing the fate of the American space bus (columbia?). I wonder how many of those insulting her have the same courage and determination to do something for his?her country?
Korea owes so much to her. She is an example of the value of Korean women.
9:14 am on April 22nd, 2008 9
Yu,
I suggest that you get to know your audience better.
Most of the Mi-Guk who blog here are military, ex-military, or at a minimum have extrovert personalities. Also, several of us have been in combat or otherwise deployed for our nation.
So asking if anyone of us would accept a free ride into space is like asking “who wants a winning lottery ticket?”
12:13 pm on April 22nd, 2008 10
#9 Great response. Furthermore, I am surprised we don’t send more military personnel into space considering the single point of failure that satellites represent these days.
2:46 pm on April 22nd, 2008 11
” She had to defeat thousands of contenders to be selected”
More Korean lies. SIGH* It has been said before, but I will say it again. Do you think that “thousands of contenders” had a realistic shot?
The truth is that the Korean Space Tourism and Propaganda Authority had health, intelligence and other minimum requirements already in place. 98% of those “contenders” had no hope of going. All the people who are too dumb, too old, not fit, not pure blood, were excluded. She was really only in competition with a few hundred people.
The real test is to put her against American, Japanese, Chinese or Russians, and see how far she gets against real astronauts. The real astronauts don’t crap their space suit on reentry.
Anybody who has been in a plane full of Koreans that has encountered turbulence can picture all the screaming that Yi did on reentry.
On a seperate note, I wonder when people will get sick of her false modisty “Who me? a hero, I am just regular Korean girl”.
I thought it was a bit over the top when her gold digging mum fake fainted at blast off, but this tourist takes the cake.
11:39 am on April 29th, 2008 12
[...] appears that Yi So-yeon’s trip into space really was even closer to being a disaster then orginally [...]