Meeting Dr. Yi So-yeon

I’d just returned from meeting with Dr. Yi So-yeon, a South Korean cosmonaut, arranged by the Institution of Engineers Australia.

Also general information of her flight made news round a globe already, meeting a living history-that is what in Korea and books on a space discoveries she had been memorized-is really the event.

A not-so-big comfy IEA conference room was not surprisingly full with variety of members and graduate engineers some coming with kids, and Dr Yi So-yeon presentation was really eye-opening for many who just realized that her flight was executed as a part of the Russian-Korean space program cooperation.

There were many questions covering variety of aspects linked to her mission and attendees were really surprised by a Russian Orthodox clergy involvement into a flight routine while information of psychological preparedness, of which lack of clocks aboard and impossibility to follow indicators during the launching yielded a positive mark from a space researcher.

A rare info on sleeping conditions in the space had been provided and audience presented to a great extent by English-as-a-second-language participants kept a breath at cosmonaut’s Russian language modest proficiency revelations-well, I could not imagine myself flying high after a year in Korea if selected for a similar locally-conducted Korean space program. Really, a Korean scientist is right telling of willingness to work in a team and a friendly understanding of her communicating problems experienced along whole Russian project but not always in local shops.    

It is unclear what job Dr. So-yeon does recently but attempts of Dr. Andy Thomas, a first Australian astronaut to return from the Cape Canaveral in a birth country were at the time postponed because of no need by local employers for an employee “skilled in the space walking” as media reported (so, Paul Scully-Powers – who?).

Good luck Dr. Yi So-yean –and with skills in Russian acquired additionally.

Michael Kerjman