One Step Closer to the Universe
One Step Closer to the Universe
  • Koh Bo-min (ST Reporter)
  • 승인 2008.10.08 18:04
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One Step Closer to the Universe

 

  

Korea has become the 36th country with an astronaut after the successful launch of the Soyuz spacecraft boarded with the Korean astronaut. People are interested increasingly in the space science era with this project....................................................Ed.


  Many countries in the world nowadays are competing more intensively than ever in developing the universe. They realize the necessity of space technology in the future and have already started to regard the universe as ‘the land of opportunity’. Moreover, they not only expect that space technology will improve the quality of human life but also even think that space research will be essential to their national security.

 Therefore, it is natural that advanced countries possessing the technology of space development have already been reinforcing their space technology projects resulting in developing new materials and filing an application for a patent which they have attained through the space expedition and development.


South Korea's first astronaut.



▲ The first Korean astronaut, Yi So-yeon

  On April 8, 2008, the Soyuz TMA-12 spacecraft, a Russian space capsule carrying South Korea’s first astronaut Yi So-yeon and two Russian cosmonauts from Kazakhstan’s Baikonur Cosmodrome, blasted off into space and docked successfully with the International Space Station (ISS) and returned to Earth on April 19. South  

Korea thus became the 36th country to put an astronaut in space, and this is just

the first step of a more ambitious plan South Korea has for the next 20 years. Ms. Yi So-yeon, a 29-yearold bio-engineer, was among 36,000 applicants for the mission, and she became the second Asian woman and the 49th woman astronaut to

fly to space(Vietnam’s Pham Tuan was Asia’s first woman in space, in 1980). Although Korea still remains behind when compared with China(which launched a manned spaceship in 2003) or with Japan(which launched ‘Kibo JLP Module’ for the ISS in last March), scientists expect that this Korean astronaut project will be a chance to build a great deal of interest in the field of space science.

  

  Ms. Yi conducted eighteen basic scientific and five educational experiments in the ISS, which are chosen by the appeal of public subscription and covered the changes of body in the weightless of space, tests using living things and of new materials etc. in space. In such weightless of space, discovering or making use of numerous spcial and unique phenomena and their features will help scientific researchers to perform a variety of experiments and studies. The findings and crucial research results can help us further progress in including all scopes of science, engineering,

and high technology making it possible to create a large number of new materials or medicines and the like making good use of its numerous research results through space development.



Is this project only a $20-million-one-time event?

 


▲ Koh San and Yi So-yeon uncased Taegeukgi in Russia's Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center

 

  Many critics are saying that this huge astronaut project might end up showing a display administration having spent a great amount of money in taxes from Korean people. Still, the long term project is of great value for the reason that it will be the pillar of a Korean space technology progress and an opportunity to recognize the importance of space development. Besides this, it gives us a consequent aspect that Korea, which was previously only concentrated on developing artificial satellites, will jump into and confront the period of earnest challenge in space developmental work by developing space launching objects and manned or unmanned spaceships and so forth. The Government thinks that the space development industry will be a future growing power even if there seem to be no visible economic effects. Hence, it says that securing space technology is not a choice but indispensable to our country. Also, the main purpose of this project is to help children to grow their dreams. The Government expects that we can overcome the crisis in Natural Sciences and raise the competitive power of science technology by expanding space technology bases and popularizing science technology.


  However, the fact that Korea sent an astronaut into space doesn’t mean that our country has become one of the powerful countries of the space industry.


  Actually, some countries such as Mongolia and Afghanistan couldn’t link their space expeditions to space development work, resulting in the failure of each project. It should be required that Korea can develop a space technology, send astronauts into space constantly, and participate in the international exchanges of space expedition.


 


Why do we have to jump into space development?

  

  Space development started in 1957 as an effect of the competition of the former Soviet Union and the United States. Afterward, in the 1980s it came into the spotlight since Europe and Japan jumped into it. Then, why are a number of countries running into the competition in space development without hesitation in spite of its high costs?


  First, the space development technology can not only a matter of the pride of the country but also have an enormous ripple effect on its economy, science technology, military affairs and so forth. Space technology has already been elevating the qualities of human life every day by coming out with revolutionary products in the fields of IT, materials industry, device industry, etc.

  Second, space research is regarded as an alternative plan in the issue of the survival of human beings in the twenty-first century now that our has been running out of resources and the global environment is deteriorating at an alarming rate. It can make high added value and is an overall indicator of a nation’s security and prestige as well. This is our future!


The scale of space development is being expanded.


  Because of the unavoidable necessity and consequence of space development, many countries on earth are expanding their national space development.


  The astonishing amount of money invested by the leading countries in the world in 2006 recorded the highest in history($50,360,000,000) and three-fourths of this was invested by the United States. Moreover, France and Japan invested $2,000,000,000 each, and Russia and Italy $1,000,000,000 each. Korea also secured the rank of the 12th in science technological investment by investing $209,000,000. The principal of the Korea Aerospace Research Institute, Baek Heung-yul, said that

“Since the competition of the universe is that of budget ‘When and what are we going to develop?’ means ‘How much are we going to invest?’”


  On the other hand, the scale of the space industry is being expanded according to increasing investment in space technology. In 2005, the sales related to the space industry globally grew to $88,800,000,000, which was 6% higher than that in 2004. Especially, the field of satellite services recorded sales of $52,800,000,000, which was 13% higher than that in 2004. The space industry will develop continuously according to the increased demand in telecommunication and satellite broadcasting and the extension of satellite application fields.


  The Korean government plans to get down to competition in space development determinedly by launching a 300-ton rocket by 2017, and followed by the launch of a satellite that would orbit the moon in 2020 and a moon landing by 2025 with our

own estimations. The first success of the future space projects is our own launching abilities of artificial satellites for ourselves.


  In December, 2008, if the small satellite launching object (KSLV-I) carrying Science Technology Satellite No.2 is launched in Narodo Space Center located in Goheung, Jeonlanam-Do, Korea will be the ninth country to launched the satellite successfully.


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

 


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