Soyuz TMA-12

Mission Profile

Overview

Soyuz TMA-12 lifted off from Baikonur on 8 April 2008 carrying the Expedition 17 commander Sergey Volkov and flight engineer Oleg Kononenko, alongside South Korea's first astronaut, biotechnologist Yi So-yeon. Flying as a guest of the Korean Astronaut Program, Yi became the first South Korean — and one of very few women from Asia at the time — to reach orbit. Over nine days she ran a packed slate of Korean science and education experiments aboard the ISS before returning to Earth on Soyuz TMA-11. Her descent was harrowing: TMA-11 made a steep ballistic re-entry, subjecting the crew to extreme g-loads. Volkov and Kononenko, meanwhile, spent six months on the station, hosting space tourist Richard Garriott, who joined them for the nominal TMA-12 landing in October 2008.

Crew

Key Milestones

1. 2008-04-08

   Launch from Baikonur with Volkov, Kononenko and Yi So-yeon

2. 2008-04-10

   Docking to the ISS Pirs module

3. 2008-04-19

   Yi So-yeon returns to Earth aboard Soyuz TMA-11 after a ballistic re-entry

4. 2008-10-24

   Volkov, Kononenko and spaceflight participant Richard Garriott land aboard TMA-12

Key Achievements

• Yi So-yeon became the first South Korean citizen in space

• First Soyuz to make a nominal landing after the ballistic descents of TMA-10 and TMA-11

• Delivered the Expedition 17 long-duration crew to the ISS

Related Missions

Sources

1. Soyuz TMA-12 — Wikipedia
2. Yi So-yeon — Britannica