Navy SEAL Jonny Kim blasts off to space aboard Russian Soyuz capsule. Who is he?

The Russian space agency Roscosmos launched three men to the International Space Station aboard the Soyuz MS-27 on April 8. This includes American astronaut Jonathan Yong "Jonny" Kim and two cosmonauts, Sergey Ryzhikov and Alexey Zubritsky. The capsule launched from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The trio is scheduled to reach the orbiting lab on Tuesday at 5:03 am EDT. The docking will happen at 7:20 am EDT and will be live-streamed. They will stay at the ISS for about eight months and return in December.

The American astronaut onboard the Soyuz, Jonny Kim, is on his first trip to space. NASA telecast the launch live on its website and social media handles. Kim has been with NASA for only about eight years and only three years later after he joined the space agency, he was among 17 astronauts picked for the Artemis mission aimed at landing humans on the moon.

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A former NAVY SEAL, Kim has several accolades to his name. He studied Medicine at the Harvard Medical School and holds a Bachelor's Degree in Mathematics. In the US Navy, the 41-year-old served as a flight surgeon and naval aviator. His first space venture has him serving as a flight engineer on the Roscosmos Soyuz MS-27 spaceflight.

Kim was a distinguished student

Kim's parents immigrated to the US from South Korea in the 1980s. His father started a liquor store in South Los Angeles while his mother was a teacher. A 2020 report revealed that Kim's father used to beat him as a teenager. His father was shot dead by the police in 2002 after he pointed a gun at his family.

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Kim was a bright student and also participated in swimming and water polo events. He received his Bachelor's degree in mathematics from the University of San Diego in 2012, and went on to become a Doctor of Medicine from Harvard Medical School in 2016. However, it was his time as a Navy SEAL that propelled him to reach for his dreams.

Kim credits Navy SEAL for his accomplishments

Kim admits that he was a shy kid in school who "lacked complete self-confidence". But things changed after he became a Navy SEAL. He started as a seaman in 2002.

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"Going into the Navy was the best decision I ever made in my life because it completely transformed that scared boy who didn't have any dreams to someone who started to believe in himself," he said in an interview.

He completed his training at Naval Special Warfare and then reported to the John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and Schoolin Fort Liberty for the Special Operations Combat Medic Course. He was then assigned to SEAL Team 3 with the rating Special Warfare Operator.

What led Kim to become an astronaut?

Kim has been a part of over 100 combat missions in various capacities, such as a medic, sniper, navigator, and point man. He was inspired to join NASA during his time at Harvard, where he met astronaut–physician Scott E. Parazynski. He applied to become an astronaut and was shortlisted from 18,300 applicants for NASA Astronaut Group 22.

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He then trained as a pilot in a program for US Navy – NASA astronauts who lacked previous military pilot experience. After completing his training, he earned the rare distinction of being a Naval flight surgeon and naval aviator.