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(LEAD) S. Korean astronaut to collect detailed photographic data on mega-lightning
By Lee Joon-seung
SEOUL, Dec. 24 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's first astronaut will collect detailed photographic data on mega-lightning that occurs in the earth's stratosphere, the government said Monday.
The Ministry of Science and Technology and the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) said astronaut Ko San will use a locally developed micro-electro mechanical systems (MEMS) telescope to capture the unexplained atmospheric phenomenon for future research. He is scheduled to blast off into space on April 8 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan and stay in orbit for eight days.
The mega-lightning shoots streaks upward into space instead of plunging downwards like ordinary lightning. It usually occurs more than 15 to 20 kilometers above the earth's surface in the lower stratosphere, and can reach the upper mesosphere 100 kilometers from the ground.
The phenomenon, first observed by pilots during World War II, remains a mystery to scientists. In the past only individual shots and some motion pictures of the mega-lightning were taken that failed to show clear details.
"Because the MEMS device can take thousands of shots within a few seconds, it will give scientists the first clear glimpse of this lightning," said a KARI researcher.
The expert also said Ko will be tasked with recording the high noise levels experienced inside operational space stations that have inconvenienced astronauts in the past.
The noise is caused by machinery such as life support systems that are kept on continuously. Because of the need to keep the weight of machines going into space to a bare minimum, such machinery is not insulated to reduce noise.
Ko, in addition, plans to conduct tests on weight measurement in a weightless environment, test future memory chips in space, check changes in the human body caused by very weak gravity and check the quality of Korean-made space food.
The 32-year-old Ko and Yi So-yeon, the replacement astronaut in the case Ko is unable to go into orbit arrived in South Korea on Saturday to undergo final training on experiments until early next month.
"The training will be carried out exactly as it would be done in space," said Ko.
All the equipment that will go up with the astronaut has been made in the country and is being tested by South Korean and Russian technicians to see if it can be operated on the International Space Station (ISS).
Once the examination is completed it will be sent up in advance on a unmanned cargo rocket in early February.
After completing work in South Korea, the two will travel to the NASA Johnson Space Center in Texas, where they train on the mock-up module of the ISS for one week.
After this course, they will return to Russia for final emergency survival training.
The government is spending more than US$20 million on the training of Ko and Yi, as mission specialists, and hopes to fuel interest in the science and engineering fields in South Korea.
The two have undergone training since being picked on Dec. 25, 2006 from an initial pool of 36,206 hopefuls.
South Korea is a major economy in the world, but it has lagged behind other countries in space technology and in sending a person into space.
Since 1961, 34 countries, including Vietnam, Mongolia and Afghanistan, have sent 462 astronauts into space.
The Science Ministry, meanwhile, said the experience Ko and Yi have gained in the training program will help the country prepare for future space cooperation projects with other countries.
yonngong@yna.co.kr
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