A South Korean astronaut
was planned to hitch a ride on a Russian spacecraft in April 2007, but the
United States has to take that seat to rotate crew at the International Space Station,
according to the South Korean Science and Technology Ministry.
Russian President Vladimir
Putin offered last year to help send a South Korean to the space station, but
seats have been sparse since the February 2003 [loss] of the space shuttle Columbia.
Although the shuttle
Discovery visited the station in
July, problems with the foam insulation on its external
fuel tank have led NASA to depend solely on the Russians for cargo and
astronaut delivery to the space station.
A Soyuz rocket took off
from the Baikonur Cosmodrome last week, bringing a Russian-American crew and a
fresh load of supplies, equipment and experiments to the station.
The spaceship, which reached
the station Saturday, also carried a Brazilian
cosmonaut into orbit for the first time, stirring widespread enthusiasm in
Brazil, which joined the space station project in 1997.
South Korea is not a member
of the project, and member countries take priority in allocating spaceship
seats, the Science and Technology Ministry said.
The ministry said it would
nonetheless begin the process later this month of selecting a candidate to
become the first South Korean astronaut in 2008.
About 300 people will be
selected by July and two final candidates chosen by the end of the year, the
ministry said.
The two will undergo 15
months of training before one is selected for the trip.
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