Ko San

Infobox Cosmonaut
name =Ko San


type = KAP Astronaut
nationality =South Korean
date_birth = birth date and age|1976|10|19|
place_birth =Busan, South Korea
occupation =Researcher
rank =
selection =2006 South Korean program
time =
mission = None
insignia = |Infobox Korean name
title = Korean name
hangul = 고산
hanja = 高山
rr = Go San
mr = Ko San
tablewidth = 231
color = #ffdead

Ko San (b. October 19, 1976) is a South Korean researcher at the Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology.

Ko was born in Busan. His father died when he was a boy, and his mother raised Ko and his sister. A graduate of Hanyoung Foreign Language High School, Ko went on to study mathematics at Seoul National University. He won a bronze medal at a national amateur boxing tournament in 2004 and climbed a 7,546-meter high mountain in China’s Xinjiang Province, Muztagh Ata, the same year.

On December 25 2006, he was chosen as one of two finalists in the Korean Astronaut Program, set to fly as a crew on the Russian Soyuz TMA-12 in April 2008.

On September 5, 2007, the Korean Ministry of Science and Technology chose Ko San over Yi So-yeon based on performance in tests during training in Russia. [ [http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/09/04/asia/AS-GEN-SKorea-Astronaut.php ITH, South Korea to announce its first astronaut] ] [ [http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/space/5108147.html Houston Chronicle, "South Korea taps robotics expert as 1st astronaut"] ] However, on March 10, 2008, this decision was reversed, after the Russian Federal Space Agency asked for a replacement because Ko violated regulations several times at a Russian training center by reading sensitive training documents and mailing one back to Korea. [cite web|url=http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/080310-southkorea-astronaut-switch.html|title=South Korea Switches to Backup for First Astronaut Flight|publisher=space.com|date=2008-03-10|accessdate=2008-04-08] [cite web|url=http://www.globalsecurity.org/space/library/news/2008/space-080310-voa02.htm|title=South Korea Will Send Woman Into Space|publisher=globalsecurity.org|date=2008-03-10|accessdate=2008-04-08] [cite web|url=http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/03/10/korea.astronaut.ap/index.html|title= S. Korea names woman as first astronaut|publisher=CNN|date=2008-03-10|accessdate=2008-03-10]

See also

*Timeline of space travel by nationality

External links

* [http://times.hankooki.com/lpage/tech/200612/kt2006122521203411810.htm Korean Will Go Into Space in 2008]
* [http://www.koreaherald.co.kr/SITE/data/html_dir/2007/02/01/200702010060.asp Two astronaut finalists pass medical checks]
* [http://www.spacefacts.de/bios/international/english/go_san.htm Spacefacts biography of Ko San]

References