[Editorial] The next technological frontier: space

Two people have been chosen out of an initial 36,206 applicants as candidates to be the first Koreans in space. They were chosen based on criteria such as physical and mental ability and personal disposition, and could be called "the best Koreans." One of the two will, in spring 2008, climb aboard a Russian spacecraft and travel to the International Space Station, making Korea the 35th nation to give birth to astronauts.

You may ask what the big deal is about finally becoming a country from which astronauts have come. Indeed, in addition to the United States and Russia, developing countries like Syria, Mongolia, Afghanistan, and Vietnam have produced astronauts, as well. You could also say it is a waste to be paying Russia some 18 billion won (US$18 million) just for a Korean to get to spend a mere eight days at a space station. More than a few people find this conspicuous consumption, an extravaganza that will come and go just as quickly. That view is not entirely wrong.

What must be remembered is that the development of space is important. The technology that comes from space development will lead industry in the 21st century. This technology is also an important supporting tool in modern warfare, in which quality intelligence is becoming ever more important. This development also relates to a nation’s status as well as the future of humanity in general. The people of the world really felt the rise of China three years ago, when that country became the third to successfully launch a manned spacecraft. The United States recently announced that between 2020 and 2040 it is going to build a base on the moon, one that can be permanently inhabited by humans. The colonization of space can already be seen in the distance.

Korea has only about ten years of history behind its development of space technology, but it has already achieved a great deal. It is behind in projectile technology, but its strength in the area of satellites is said to be in the world’s top ten. The multi-purpose Arirang 2 satellite launched in July can take photographs providing clear resolution of objects as small as one meter in length. The mission of whoever gets chosen among the two space candidates will be scientific research, and only nine other nations have engaged in experiments in space. The space center being constructed in Goheung for the purpose of launching satellites, meanwhile, will be completed next year.

Space development is a field that requires concentrated investment in order to see results. Korea’s weak point is that it has few experts in the field other than those at the Korea Aerospace Research Institute. This makes it absolutely essential that the government be determined to promote research, and that it has the ability to plan and coordinate it, as well. Launching a few people into the cosmos will not jumpstart the development of space technology. There is so much more that needs to be done in the future if Korea country is going to give its people reason to dream as they embrace the era of space travel.

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