SEOUL,
South Korea (AP) -- The name of South Korea's first astronaut -- who will fly
on a Russian Soyuz capsule to the International Space Station early next year --
will be announced Wednesday, an official said.
The
Ministry of Science and Technology will select either Ko San, a 30-year-old
man, or Yi Soo-yeon, a 29-year-old woman following performance and other tests
during their training in Russia, the official said Tuesday. He asked not to be
named because the decision on a candidate was not yet final.
The astronaut
will work on the International Space Station for about a week with two Russian
cosmonauts in April, conducting scientific experiments.
The
official said the backup astronaut will also continue to receive further
training should the selected astronaut
not be able to carry out the space mission.
South Korea
is scheduled to complete the country's first space center in Goheung, 473
kilometers (293 miles) south of Seoul, by the end of next year, a move aimed at
laying technical and scientific groundwork for eventual space exploration in
coming decades.
Since 1992,
South Korea has had 11 satellites launched, mostly for space and ocean observation
and communications, according to the ministry.
advertisement
