Claims were made that Alper Gezeravcı, who will go to the International Space Station with the Axiom 3 mission and stay there for a while to carry out experiments, is “not an astronaut, but a tourist.” The Center for Combating Disinformation responded to these allegations.
Center for Combating Disinformation In the statement made from the official X account, Alper Gezeravcı It was stated that the “tourist” claims made in some media outlets and on social media were not true. In the statement, it was stated that the purpose of space tourists is to have a personal experience and travel to space.
In the statement made by the institution astronautism, It was also stated that it requires serious responsibility, qualifications and qualifications. While it was stated that the astronauts were selected from people who are experts in scientific fields or who can pilot a spacecraft, it was also stated that the astronauts can carry out scientific research and experiments in a microgravity environment.
“Being an astronaut requires serious responsibility, qualifications and qualifications.”
In the statement, information was also given about the training Gezeravcı has received so far, his achievements, and the work he will carry out. The statement was made by the Axiom Mission 3 team, including Gezeravcı, on January 19. at 00.49 CET It was completed with the knowledge that he would carry out his journeys.
Here is the full text of the statement
A statement about Turkey’s first Astronaut Alper Gezeravcı, which was published in some media and shared on social media, said: “Actually, we cannot call him an astronaut, he is going as a tourist.” The claim is not true.
The goal of space tourists is to have a personal experience and travel to space. Space tourists are not required to have any competencies to conduct scientific studies in space or control spacecraft.
On the other hand, being an astronaut requires serious responsibility, qualifications and qualifications. For this reason, astronauts have the potential, career and background to be experts in scientific fields or to pilot a spacecraft. At the same time, thanks to all these competencies, an astronaut is versatile enough to carry out scientific research and experiments in a microgravity environment.
Turkey’s first Astronaut Alper Gezeravcı will carry out 13 experiments on the International Space Station for 14 days, including studies that will contribute to the literature, from cancer to immune cells, from algae to propolis. The aim is to fulfill tasks such as increasing knowledge in space, understanding living conditions in space, and preparing for future space missions.
Alper Gezeravcı, who completed his undergraduate education in Electronics Engineering at Istanbul Air Force Academy, completed his master’s degree at the Air Force Technology Institute at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.
Gezeravcı, who served in the Turkish Air Force, has 15 years of flight experience in many aircraft, including T-41, SF-260, T-37, T-38, F-5, KC-135 and F-16. He also has 7 years of experience as a captain pilot at Turkish Airlines.
Gezeravcı was appointed to the 10th Base Command Unit in Adana as the Standardization Squadron Academic Wing Commander. He took responsibility for the standardization and evaluation of the fleet, the preparation of all training documents according to Air Force standards, the examination of all F-16 and KC-135R pilots before check drives, and the auditing of fleet documentation standards.
In addition to all his competence and experience, our astronaut passed 200 separate tests before the Axiom Mission 3 (Ax-3) launch and received preparatory training for nearly 2 years.
The launch of the Axiom Mission 3 (Ax-3) team, including Alper Gezeravcı, the first Turkish astronaut to be sent to the International Space Station within the scope of the “First Manned Space Mission” of the National Space Program, will be launched on January 19, 2024 at 00:49 (Turkey time). is planned.