A Russian Soyuz spacecraft carrying South Korea's first astronaut blasted into space on Tuesday from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
The Soyuz TMA-12 spaceship disappeared into a clear sky as planned at 1116 GMT after lifting off from the world's oldest space launch pad, used by Russia's Yuri Gagarin when he became the first human in space in 1961.
Yi So-yeon, a 29-year-old nanotechnology engineer, began her journey to the International Space Station alongside Russian cosmonauts Sergei Volkov and Oleg Kononenko.
Originally a reserve candidate, Yi was picked for the flight in March after Russia accused Ko San, the primary South Korean crew member, of removing sensitive documents from a training centre. Ko later apologised for his actions.
The South Korean government paid Russia about $25 million for the right to send the first Korean into space. Along with her Russian colleagues, Yi will conduct scientific experiments at the space station during her 11-day mission.
By Www. actionforspace. com
Tue Apr 08 23:11:26 BST 2008
I applaud South Korea for its bold advances in Space flight.By Asian Observer
Wed Apr 09 05:24:14 BST 2008
If South Korea has a space program,I've never heard ofAll comments should respect the New Scientist House Rules. If you think a particular comment breaks these rules then please use the "Report" link in that comment to report it to us.
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