SEOUL, South Korea—NASA astronaut Jonny Kim, the first Korean-American to fly to space, recently provided a rare look at his life aboard the International Space Station (ISS) during a special live interview with the Korea AeroSpace Administration (KASA), formerly the Korea Aerospace Administration (KASA). The interview, which took place on September 25 and was released to the public on October 2, offered both practical and philosophical insights from the orbiting laboratory.
Kim, a Lieutenant Commander in the U.S. Navy and a member of NASA Astronaut Group 22, launched on April 8, 2025, aboard the Roscosmos Soyuz MS-27 spacecraft. He is serving as a flight engineer for Expedition 72/73 and is scheduled to remain on the ISS for an approximately eight-month science mission, with his return to Earth anticipated in December 2025.
No Laundry in Space: The Cost of Water
One of the most surprising details Kim shared with KASA Administrator Yoon Young-bin and other officials concerned the mundane chore of laundry.
"We don't do laundry in space," Kim explained. "Water is incredibly heavy, so it's more cost-effective to just discard clothes when they get dirty rather than wash them. We're sent enough clothing from Earth to last the entire duration of the mission."
The astronaut also demonstrated how liquids behave in a weightless environment, releasing water from a hose which instantly formed perfect, floating spheres. He noted that surface tension becomes the dominant force in microgravity, causing the water to coalesce into a spherical shape before he could "drink" the droplet by moving his mouth to it.
A Journey of Unthinkable Achievements
Kim's ascent to space is the latest chapter in a life story marked by extraordinary resilience and achievement. Born in Los Angeles to Korean immigrant parents, he overcame a challenging youth, including witnessing domestic violence, to enlist in the U.S. Navy.
His military career is legendary: he became an elite Navy SEAL and was deployed to Iraq twice, where he conducted over 100 combat operations as a medic and sniper. He was awarded the Silver Star—the third-highest military combat decoration—for his bravery in rescuing wounded Iraqi soldiers under enemy fire.
Following his enlisted service, Kim received his commission as a Naval officer and used the military's education programs to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree in Mathematics from the University of San Diego, graduating summa cum laude. He then attended Harvard Medical School, earning his M.D.
Driven by a passion for service and learning, he later completed the demanding Naval flight training, earning the rare Aeromedical Dual Designator as both a Naval Aviator and a Flight Surgeon—a distinction held by fewer than 100 people in U.S. Navy history. In 2017, he was selected as one of 12 new NASA Astronaut Candidates from a pool of over 18,300 applicants.
Inspiring a New Generation
Speaking as a Korean-American, Kim expressed immense pride in South Korea's burgeoning space program and offered a message of encouragement for its future endeavors, particularly the country's indigenous rocket.
"Spaceflight is a very difficult thing," Kim said. "I want to express how much of an inspiration it is as a Korean-American to hear that the Korean people are bravely moving forward to explore new frontiers." He specifically offered his support for the country's upcoming fourth launch of the Nuri rocket (KSLV-II).
To aspiring scientists and engineers, he stressed the importance of perseverance. "Life is always full of challenges and unexpected surprises," he advised. "What’s important is not whether we failed in that moment, but how we get back up and what action we take afterward. I want to tell them to have the fortitude to keep hope and move forward." Kim is also part of the 18-member Artemis Team selected to train for the future lunar missions, which will lay the groundwork for crewed missions to Mars, cementing his role as a pivotal figure in the next era of human space exploration.
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