It’s not news that she’d be a woman in space. In being a woman in space, she’ll join a club that already has dozens of members. To be sure, women represent a minority of space-travellers, especially viewed historically, but they are not UNUSUAL (and thus newsworthy) space travellers, especially viewed in light of current practices. (and thus not unjustly inflating the number of men by including men who made suborbital flights in the 60s, for example, when the US used only male astronauts)

As a global society, we are far more egalitarian than we are spacefaring, and it’d probably be a bit more becoming if we could stop acting surprised every time we see a female headed to space. To reiterate, it’s actually NOT news these days. Thank goodness.

I’m sure she’d both cringe and laugh over the ‘hawt’ debate. What really matters is that she’s an incredibly smart and multi-talented girl, with a sparkling personality who came through a really tough and competitive selection process and has since completed an equally challenging training regime, conducted entirely in Russian, which she’s had to learn, as she’s gone along, in a country far from home, both geographically and culturally.

She also took on the additional challenge of completing her Ph.D remotely, while doing her cosmonaut training, and over coming all the difficulties of being far from her professors and colleagues, completed her thesis on schedule, and having her doctorate conferred as recently as 29th February.

Whatever the rights or wrongs of the Korean government spending millions on buying a seat to ISS and the value of the experiments to be conducted, they’ve chosen got a great candidate to make the flight and someone who will be a PR dream for science, engineering and as a role model for Korean women and girls.

She effectively finished her last training yesterday, and now is on a day by day sequence of final exams, tests and medical reviews, leading to departure to Baikonur on 26th March and launch on 8th April.

So, I wish the feisty, talented and courageous Dr Yi well for the difficult three weeks, which lie ahead, a smooth and uneventful launch, a successful visit to ISS, and pray for her safe return. I know she has the ‘right stuff’ and will do a great job for her country and herself.

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@StevoR, Csrster

“Are you sure you’re not thinking of Arthur C Clarke’s Islands in the Sky?”
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Pretty sure … Although that may have been another example. I think, from memory it was one of the “Lucky Starr” series but, hey, I guess I could be wrong.

Or more likely, that sort of case was described and used by both Asimov and Clarke and maybe others too.

But, primarily, she’s a Phd., and the best her country has to offer for this kind of pursuit. She’s going to make one hell of a role model for girls growing up in her country. (and around the world, for that matter.)

But, date her? Hummm… something tells me I’d be pretty well out of my leauge.