KOREA FOCUS

It was four months behind the schedule. On March 9, 2007, a truck arrived at the Korea Aerospace Research Institute, carrying design documents for a rocket launch pad. Three Russian security agents traveled with them. Under the original plan, Russia was to construct the launch pad. The plan was changed due to a shortage of funds, and Korea had to build it alone.

 

Controversy over the feasibility of the space development program already had boiled over at the National Assembly. Some argued that as much as one trillion won may be wasted to have “no more than a round of fireworks display.” Others, saying that advanced countries now launch rockets from a ship or airplane, questioned the national benefit of building a launch pad on land.   

 

Regardless of these hollow arguments, eight researchers took over the construction project. The design documents from Russia amounted to 23,000 sheets of A3-size paper packed into 21 boxes. The launch pad had to be completed in 17 months to meet the launch time. Russian experts said that it would take at least 23 months. It perturbed the Korean researchers.

 

At that time, the head of the Naro Space Center, Min Kyung-joo, said: “With lots of money and time, anybody can do this project. Really competent researchers accomplish such a mission despite the lack of resources. Somebody has to do this job for the country. Let`s be thankful that this work has been given to us.”

 

Researchers struggled to learn how to interpret the design documents from Russian experts and worked on drawings for a launch pad suited for domestic construction. They said they felt dejected when the Russians refused to stay with them late at night, saying that they should rest at home “after the sun goes down.” The space center was far from urban areas, and researchers had to stay away from home even during weekends. Some did not see their family for several months. A researcher whose wife had her kidney transplanted had to rush back to the center to meet the project schedule.   

 

Researchers also made rounds of visits to parts makers around the world. A researcher who visited a parts supplier in Taiwan recalled that he was utterly frustrated when he heard that the company could not meet the supply deadline. The researchers had an unimaginable level of passion. They stayed up all night with workers at tens of companies in the country. These episodes are common with people involved in development of rocket equipment.

 

Thus the Korean-type launch pad was born. It has a total of 273 systems that control fuel, temperature, air and other functions, as well as 140 kilometers of electric cables and 3,000 valves. Unwilling to recognize the Koreans` achievement, Russians increased the number of tests from 99 to 358. After that, the Russian side proposed forming a consortium with Korea to participate in the construction of a new rocket launch pad in Kazakhstan.

 

However, the rocket launch was delayed. The media became impatient. As the Russian side notified a delay in the launch due to problems in a fuel combustion experiment, the uproar grew even louder. Once launched, a rocket cannot be repaired. It is common sense in space science that preparations on land should be meticulous and perfect to every minute detail. “We are doing our utmost with deadly determination,” a researcher said.

 

I took a car at Yeosu Airport last weekend. One and a half hours later, I encountered thick sea fog crossing two bridges that link islands. I felt it had been a long trip. On the deepest hill of the Naro Space Center the launch pad was drenched in the rain. On the launch day, the “reclining” rocket will be transported up here, then the launch pad will place the 140-ton rocket in a vertical position and send it into space.

 

Besides cheers, there are many other things we need to keep in mind as we look forward to the launch. Those at the center are utterly tense over the burden of launching the country`s first space rocket and the possibility of failure. They may need “a warm embrace of encouragement and trust in case of failure rather than compliments for success.” Every valuable challenge carries the risk of failure. Even if the launch fails, technology and research capabilities accumulated in the process will not be in vain.  Even a failure can be an asset. Without the national courage to overcome failure, we cannot advance into space. 

 

[ July 22, 2009 ]