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(2nd LD) First S. Korean astronaut returns home
INCHEON, April 28 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's first astronaut returned home after her historic mission to the International Space Station (ISS) orbiting the Earth, the government said Monday.
Yi So-yeon told reporters at Incheon International Airport that she was grateful for the warm public support she received during her mission and pledged to do her best to promote South Korea's space development program.
She added that although the capsule veered off course during reentry, she was prepared to deal with the situation because such a contingency was fully explained during the year-long training she received in Russia.
"I received prior training on it, and was further assured by the two astronauts who returned with me," the 29-year-old biosystems engineer said. U.S. astronaut Peggy Whitson and Russian cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko had already made several trips into orbit.
On the exact cause of the mishap that delayed confirmation of a safe landing, she stressed that the Russian space agency was investigating the incident thoroughly.
"If it was 10 years ago, the sharp trajectory taken by the module as it reentered the atmosphere would have been considered normal," she claimed, adding that the Russians have taken all possible steps to protect the crew.
She pointed out that even the United States had not raised issue with the return flight of the TMA-11 and that she personally thought the rough ride was a valuable "learning experience."
The TMA-11 capsule missed the designated landing zone by 420 kilometers, had communication problems and was found lying on its side.
She said that she had some lingering pain, but that doctors assured her it would get better.
"I took several X-ray photos and all showed that there was no problems," she said, adding that the pain she felt may have been due to the shock of the hard landing.
The astronaut, who admitted that the return flight was the hardest aspect of the space journey, said she planned to expand on the 18 experiments conducted in the ISS and to analyse the data collected in orbit.
The researcher at state-run Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) made history by blasting off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on April 8 and returning safety to Earth on April 19.
Her mission to the ISS made South Korea the 36th country to send a astronaut into space. She was the 49th woman to reach orbit and the 158th person to visit the ISS.
The Ministry of Education, Science and Technology said Yi recuperated at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center outside of Moscow where she received a detailed medical checkup and given training to adjust to normal gravity conditions.
Meanwhile, the ministry and KARI said Yi and backup astronaut Ko San will work to promote the country's manned space program and other space research endeavors. The two KARI researchers will also act as science and technology ambassadors to highlight the importance of space exploration and give lectures on their experience.
Ko said that his primary task is to carefully compile the experiences and knowledge acquired in Russia for future reference. He added that he is interested in helping future projects including explorations of the moon and developing a mobile lunar probe.
The ministry said Yi is scheduled to visit President Lee Myung-bak and go to the United Nations to meet Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in June.
yonngong@yna.co.kr
(END)
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