The national Space Program, the most efficient outreach program itself: Case of Korean Astronaut Program

Paper number

IAC-19,E1,6,3,x53505

Author

Ms. Seungmi Chung, Korea, Republic of, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Year

2019

Abstract

Each space agency operates many outreach programs to promote their space programs and encourage the public support of the space program. However, sometimes, the space program itself rather than any other outreach program could be the best way to educate the various generation of the society. 
In Korea, the launch of Korea Space Launch Vehicle -1 (KSLV-1) and the Korean Astronaut Program (KAP) was operated under much public attention in Korea and these two space programs were considered as the space event to change the Korean public from the passive receiver to an actor of the space program. The Korean public earned enough knowledge and interest to start the public discourse about space issues during the programs.  
Among them, this paper focus on KAP and the Korean society around KAP. In the program, the Korean public studied human space program through media and other information given to them. Some people actively searched the case of foreign human space programs and the discourse about then. It provided enough background to make public discourse about KAP and the Korean first astronaut, Dr. Soyeon Yi, and it directly affected to the success of the program. Based on the discourse, Korean public changed their position to an important actor of the national space program and they did not accept Dr. Yi as a new kind of space expert well when the Korean first astronaut, Dr. Soyeon Yi, was given to Korean society as a new space flight expert. To make the nation an active actor space program is the important goal of the most outreach program.
This paper examines the process how the Korean nation became to have the capability including the knowledge and opinion about the Korean astronaut and program more than expected through the process of KAP as the outcome of KAP in the perspective of outreach project and how it affected to space program’s success. It will provide a clue how the space program could be used for the outreach.

Abstract document

IAC-19,E1,6,3,x53505.brief.pdf

Manuscript document

IAC-19,E1,6,3,x53505.pdf (🔒 authorized access only).

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