South Korean astronaut returns from 11-day space mission
Saturday, 19 Apr 2008 11:27
Yi So-Yeon spent nine days in space on the International Space Station
South Korea's first-ever astronaut Yi So-Yeon has returned to earth after completing an 11-day mission on board the International Space Station.
The Russian shuttle carrying the three astronauts landed safely but overshot its target by over 400 kilometres.
Earlier today television pictures showed the scientist, who has become a national hero in her country, and her two colleagues, Russian cosmonaut Yury Malenchenko and US space scientist Peggy Whitson, enter the Soyuz landing pod which took them back to Earth.
The trio left the space station after welcoming the incoming crew in a state of weightlessness.
During the mission, Yeon performed a series of experiments on board the station which mark her country's first major steps towards launching a space programme.
In a statement on its website, US space agency NASA said Ms Whitson, who led the previous team, had now spent over a year in space thereby becoming the American who has spent the most time in space.
She is being replaced by Russian cosmonaut Sergei Volkov, whose father went to space under the Soviet space mission.