THIS DAY IN SPACE

Launch of Soyuz TMA-12 to the ISS
On March 19, 2008, Russia launched the Soyuz TMA-12 spacecraft to the International Space Station (ISS), carrying a crew that included South Korean astronaut Yi So-yeon—the first Korean to fly in space. The mission marked South Korea’s entry into the elite club of nations with human spaceflight capabilities. The Soyuz spacecraft lifted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome and docked with the ISS after two days in orbit. Yi conducted numerous scientific experiments, particularly in biology and medicine, during her 11-day mission aboard the ISS. The mission also included Russian cosmonauts Sergei Volkov and Oleg Kononenko, who stayed on board for an extended period. Yi’s participation was both symbolic and strategic, representing a leap for South Korea’s scientific community and sparking national pride. The success of the mission solidified the Soyuz program’s role in ISS crew transport, especially following the retirement of NASA’s Space Shuttle program in 2011.

Pluto’s Future Discoverer Clyde Tombaugh Born
On March 19, 1906, Clyde Tombaugh was born in Streator, Illinois. Though not yet a household name, Tombaugh would go on to make one of the most significant astronomical discoveries of the 20th century: the identification of Pluto in 1930. Growing up in Kansas, he built his own telescopes using spare parts and began sending his meticulous observations to the Lowell Observatory. Impressed, they hired him at age 22 to conduct systematic photographic searches for a hypothesized 'Planet X'. On February 18, 1930, he discovered a faint object that shifted position in images taken days apart—this was Pluto. Tombaugh’s discovery expanded the known boundaries of the solar system and captivated the world. He continued to work in planetary science and telescope design for decades, advocating scientific curiosity and exploration. Although Pluto was later reclassified as a dwarf planet in 2006, Tombaugh's role in expanding our cosmic understanding remains monumental. Some of his ashes are even aboard NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft, which flew by Pluto in 2015.