Alper Gezeravcı and his backup Tuna Cihangir Atasever, who were introduced as Türkiye's first space travelers in the 7th edition of Teknofest, and engaged in preparations and training in the U.S., have recently shared details of their selection process, expectations, besides sharing their pride on being chosen for such mission.
Gezeravcı is an accomplished pilot at the Turkish Air Forces Command, while Atasever is an engineer working on space launch systems at the Turkish defense giant, Roketsan.
Speaking to Anadolu Agency (AA) from the Houston center, Gezeravcı, who is set to spend 14 days at the International Space Station (ISS), said that he participated in the space mission while continuing with his Air Force Command roles and responsibilities.
Gezeravcı noted that he got to know about the "Turkish Astronaut and Science Mission" accidentally while watching the news one evening, as President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced the program, Gezeravcı decided to examine the criteria on the website of the Turkish Space Agency.
"Upon sensing that I meet the criteria, and after examining the information of astronauts who have already been a part of the mission in the past year, within a period of some two-three weeks, I've decided to apply for the program," he explained.
Stating that he did not foresee his selection despite completing all the phases of the selection process with ease, Gezeravcı noted that he could not share the news of his being selected for the task – received from the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Türkiye (TÜBITAK) vice president Prof. Dr. Ahmet Yozgatlıgil – owing to a confidentiality clause.
Pointing out that the space mission is planned for the last quarter of 2023, Gezeravcı noted that an itinerary will be issued in the near future. He also noted that the six-month period filled with educational activities lay ahead of them, adding that there are many details and aspects of the training that surprise them.
Reiterating that a 14-day stay is planned for the mission, Gezeravcı added that the launch for the space mission is scheduled at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida and that experiments selected by TÜBITAK will be carried out in this process.
Stating that he feels he is prepared for the mission and confident, Gezeravcı said, "There will be a chance to experience the dynamics of movement without gravity, besides an environment with minimal gravity called 'microgravity', which we are not accustomed to; but I do not see any of these as challenging."
Saying that it's "extremely gratifying" to be the first space traveler for the country, Gezeravcı noted he expects this first step undertaken "to be a starting step in our history that we will be proud of", adding that he hopes that in the later period, "Türkiye would take part in larger space projects, assuming a position of not just a participant but as one having a say as well."
Noting that his journey commenced in 2014 and that he strived to be a part of the journey in low earth orbit en route to the moon, Tuva Cihangir Atasever said the fateful decision allowed him to pursue the space mission.
"When the National Space Program was announced and a Turkish space traveler would be selected, I had already made up my mind to apply," he said.
Recalling that it was exciting, he noted that he had applied in May 2022 while also noting that the process was lengthy.
"We went through extremely intense and challenging tests and elimination stages. We went through screening processes such as intelligence tests, analytical thinking tests, psychological tests, and then some physical environmental tests and interviews. It was a process that took about 10 months in total. It is amazing to be here as a result," he maintained.
Informing that they had mostly undergone theoretical training since the beginning of their training in the U.S., Atasever explained that currently, they are focusing on the analysis of technical information, and emergency scenarios related to the vehicle they will launch into space, adding that more exciting training process is expected in the upcoming months.
