In 2006, more than 36,000 South Koreans applied to become the nation’s first astronaut. After a grueling selection process that tested everything from physical endurance to scientific reasoning, just two were chosen to train in Russia. One of them was Dr. Yi Soyeon—an engineer, a pioneer, and ultimately, the woman who would make history aboard the Soyuz in 2008.
In this conversation, Soyeon shares what it was like growing up in a culture that didn’t traditionally encourage girls to dream of space. We talked about the power of saying "let's try it," about the similarities between dorm room life and Russian military bases, and the mental resilience it takes to be a trailblazer. We also dove into how her mission reshaped her outlook on Earth, how she answers young girls' questions about space, and her hopes for humanity’s future on Mars.
A heartfelt thank you to Dr. Yi Soyeon for joining me today and sharing her powerful story as a pioneer, scientist, and dreamer, to Nick Thorburn for our uplifting theme music, to Ceci Giglio for the beautiful graphics, to RDan, Leila, Inka, and Carl for admining he FB group, and to my family for supporting this project—even when it turns into late-night Mars rabbit holes.
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