South Korean Astronauts Switched After Rule Infraction

By Nancy Atkinson - March 10, 2008 at 12:56 PM UTC | Space Policy
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When it comes to following space agency rules, Russia stands firm. The man who was going to be the first South Korean in space has now been grounded for violating Russian security protocol and will be replaced by a female biotechnology engineer, the South Korean science ministry said on Monday. Ko San, 31, was dropped from the April 2008 flight to the International Space Station on a Russian Soyuz spacecraft. He is now the backup for the mission after he removed sensitive material from a Russian space training center. Ko, a technology researcher is being replaced by Yi So-yeon, 29, who is finishing her doctorate in bioengineering.

"The Russians emphasized the importance of abiding by the rules, as even small mistakes can bring about grave consequences in space," a South Koren official said at a news conference, adding Ko appeared to have made innocent mistakes.

The Russian authorities said Ko took a book out of the center without permission and sent it to his home in South Korea in September. Ko later returned the book, explaining he accidently sent it home together with other personal belongings.

In February, Ko again violated regulations by getting a book from the center through a Russian colleague, and it was material he was not supposed to read. Officials did not give details about the book's contents, but South Korean officials portrayed both of his infractions as minor.

"The Russian space agency has stressed that a minor mistake and disobedience can cause serious consequences," a south Korean official told reporters.

Ko will remain at the Russian space center and continue training. The official did not say if Ko would possibly go to space on a future flight.

Yi, 29, will work aboard the International Space Station for about 10 days with three other cosmonauts as well as American station commander Peggy Whitson and flight engineer Garrett Reisman. Yi will conduct scientific experiments, according to a ministry statement.

The mission will make South Korea the world's 35th country and Asia's sixth to send an astronaut into space.

The two South Koreans were selected from a list of more than 36,000 candidates.

Original News Source:

Reuters

, AP

Nancy Atkinson

Nancy Atkinson

Nancy Atkinson is a space journalist and author with a passion for telling the stories of people involved in space exploration and astronomy. She is currently retired from daily writing, but worked at Universe Today for 20 years as a writer and editor. She also contributed articles to The Planetary Society, Ad Astra (National Space Society), New Scientist and many other online outlets.

Her 2019 book, "Eight Years to the Moon: The History of the Apollo Missions,” shares the untold stories of engineers and scientists who worked behind the scenes to make the Apollo program so successful, despite the daunting odds against it. Her first book “Incredible Stories From Space: A Behind-the-Scenes Look at the Missions Changing Our View of the Cosmos” (2016) tells the stories of 37 scientists and engineers that work on several current NASA robotic missions to explore the solar system and beyond.

Nancy is also a NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassador, and through this program, she has the opportunity to share her passion of space and astronomy with children and adults through presentations and programs. Nancy's personal website is nancyatkinson.com