Yi Soyeon, South Korea

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," how similar dorm room life is to 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 determined she is to answer young girls' questions about space, and her hopes for humanity’s future on Mars.

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