Astronaut Alper Gezeravci attended Teknofest in Antalya, the largest space, aviation and technology festival in the world.
January 18th of this year saw Alper Gezeravci become the first ever Turkish citizen to travel to space. Gezeravci made history when he travelled to space for a part of the Axiom Mission 3 (Ax-3) mission which was launched from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.
This mission marks a significant milestone in the nation’s growing space venture.
Gezeravci spoke with a number of youths in hopes to motivate and inspire the young generation about his next mission.
He stated that “We are working on a rocket that will make a soft landing on the Moon and operate there.”
Gezeravci, whom not only is a military pilot in the Turkish Air Force but he is also a member of the board of the Turkish Space Agency (TUA), stated that there has been incredible progress to the space program since the TUA was established back in 2018.
He went on to say that “Our work on the lunar research program continues. As the Republic of Turkey, we are working on a project to carry a rocket to the Moon with a system we developed between 2026 and 2028. If our goal were merely to orbit the Moon and bring back a record, we would be able to achieve that with the capabilities we have now.”
He continued that “Our goal, however, is more ambitious. We plan to send a rocket to the Moon’s surface, not just orbit around it. We are working on a specific plan to send a rocket to a planned point on the Moon’s surface for a hard landing first, followed by a second mission with a rover or a scientific unit for a soft landing and operation.”
Gezeravci frequently addressed the younger generation during his speech and finished with some sound advice “My humble advise to you is this: If only one person before me has done something, I will do it too, without hesitation. Remember frequently that no one knows your potential better than you do. Do not let anyone judge your potential or label your self-confidence. If someone has done it before you, be sure that you can do it too.”
Source: Daily Sabah / image www.vecteezy.com
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