Yi So-yeon facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Yi So-yeon
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| Born | June 2, 1978 Gwangju, South Korea
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| Occupation | Researcher |
| Space career | |
| KAP astronaut | |
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Time in space
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10 days, 21 hours, 13 minutes |
| Selection | 2006 South Korean program |
| Missions | Soyuz TMA-12/TMA-11 |
| Korean name | |
| Hangul |
이소연
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| Hanja |
李素妍
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| Revised Romanization | I So-yeon |
| McCune–Reischauer | Yi Soyŏn |
| IPA: [i so.jʌn] | |
Yi So-yeon (born June 2, 1978) is a South Korean astronaut and biotechnologist. She made history by becoming the first person from Korea to travel into space.
Yi So-yeon was born and grew up in Gwangju, South Korea. She studied at KAIST, a famous science university, and earned a master's degree in Mechanical Engineering. In 2006, she was chosen as one of two people to train for the Korean Astronaut Program. This program aimed to send the first Koreans into space. She was initially a backup, but later became the main astronaut for the mission. On April 8, 2008, she launched into space with two Russian cosmonauts. She spent about eleven days orbiting Earth before returning on April 19.
After her space journey, Yi So-yeon worked as a researcher at the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI). She later studied at the International Space University and then got a business degree (MBA) from the University of California, Berkeley. She moved to Washington in the United States and taught at colleges there.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Yi So-yeon was born to Yi Gil-soo and Jeong Geum-soon. She spent her childhood in Gwangju, South Korea.
She attended Gwangju Science High School, a special school for talented science students. Later, she studied at KAIST in Daejeon, where she earned both her bachelor's and master's degrees. Her studies focused on mechanics, which is about how things move and work. She also earned a doctorate degree in biotech systems in 2008.
Space Journey
Becoming an Astronaut
Yi So-yeon was one of two people chosen on December 25, 2006, for the Korean Astronaut Program. This program was designed to send a Korean person into space. Initially, Ko San was chosen as the main astronaut, and Yi So-yeon was the backup. This decision was made after many tests and training sessions in Russia.
However, things changed on March 7, 2008. Yi So-yeon was then chosen to train with the main crew. On March 10, it was announced that she would replace Ko San. This happened because Ko San had broken some rules at the Russian training center. He had taken sensitive training materials and sent one back to Korea.
On April 8, 2008, Yi So-yeon launched into space aboard the Soyuz TMA-12 spacecraft. She traveled with two Russian cosmonauts. South Korea paid Russia about $20 million for her space flight. Yi So-yeon became the third woman to be the first person from her country in space. The others were Helen Sharman from the United Kingdom and Anousheh Ansari from Iran/America.
What is a Spaceflight Participant?
When Yi So-yeon flew into space, she was a guest of the Russian government. This was part of a special agreement with South Korea. Her role on the Soyuz spacecraft and the International Space Station (ISS) was called a "spaceflight participant." This means she was not a professional astronaut or cosmonaut in the same way as the others, but a guest carrying out specific tasks.
Her Mission in Space
During her time in space, Yi So-yeon did eighteen science experiments for KARI. She also talked to media and shared her experiences.
One interesting experiment involved 1,000 fruit flies. She kept them in a special container that controlled the temperature. She watched how the flies behaved in space, especially how changes in gravity affected them. Other experiments included:
- Growing plants in space.
- Studying how her heart worked in microgravity.
- Observing how gravity changes affected the pressure in her eyes and the shape of her face. She took six photos of her face every day with a special 3D camera to see if it swelled.
- Watching Earth, especially dust storms moving from China to Korea.
- Measuring the noise levels inside the International Space Station.
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South Korean scientists even made a special, healthy version of kimchi for Yi So-yeon to eat in space!
Returning to Earth
At the end of her mission, Yi So-yeon returned to Earth with two other ISS crew members, Peggy Whitson and Yuri Malenchenko. They came back on the Soyuz TMA-11 spacecraft on April 19, 2008.
There was a problem with the Soyuz vehicle during their return. The spacecraft followed a "ballistic re-entry." This means it came back to Earth very steeply and quickly. The crew felt very strong forces, up to 10 times the normal gravity on Earth. Because of this, the spacecraft landed about 420 kilometres (260 mi) away from its planned landing spot in Kazakhstan. All three astronauts survived, but they needed medical check-ups. Yi So-yeon was hospitalized in Korea for a short time because of severe back pains from the rough landing.
After the Spaceflight
After her space journey, Yi So-yeon continued to work as a researcher at KARI. She also became an ambassador for Korea's space program, helping to promote space science.
In 2009, she attended the International Space University (ISU) Space Studies Program. She was the first astronaut to do so. In 2011, she was recognized as one of "Fifteen Asian Scientists To Watch" by Asian Scientist Magazine.
Life After Space
On August 13, 2014, the Korean Aerospace Research Institute announced that Yi So-yeon had resigned. She said she left for personal reasons, including wanting to study for an MBA (Master of Business Administration) degree. This marked the end of Korea's astronaut program for a while.
After getting her MBA from the University of California, Berkeley, Yi So-yeon joined the Association of Spaceflight Professionals. She has lived in Washington, United States. Starting in 2016, she began teaching physics at Everett Community College in Washington. She has also given lectures at the University of Washington.
See also
In Spanish: Yi So-yeon para niños
- Timeline of space travel by nationality
- ARISS (Amateur Radio on the International Space Station)
