Alper Gezeravcı described his emotions about changing into Türkiye’s first astronaut as “something he has never felt before,” and the way seeing the Turkish flag on the area station provides him “extraordinary happiness and pride.”
“I’m extremely joyful to be part of this very invaluable and essential mission through which our nation and authorities have put their will ahead, and to have the ability to carry the goals of our future generations past the sky and into the depths of Space,” Gezeravcı stated from the International Space Station (ISS) through video hyperlink whereas responding to questions from journalists on the Turkish Space Agency (TUA) in Ankara on Sunday.
“As for the glorious Turkish flag that I brought here with me, every time I pass by where it hangs, I feel happiness and pride, as it reminds me of the will and determination of my country,” he added.
Gezeravcı is a member of a four-man crew that arrived on the ISS on Jan. 20 for a two-week keep. The Axiom Mission 3 quartet lifted off a day earlier in a rocketship from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida.
A former fighter pilot and captain for Turkish Airlines, Gezeravcı has been conducting scientific experiments on behalf of universities and scientific facilities in Türkiye.
‘Mission transcends creativeness’
While he had been a jet pilot for years, Gezeravcı stated it was past his wildest goals to serve Türkiye in a area he had by no means thought-about till the National Space Program was introduced.
The program constitutes Türkiye’s formidable 10-year area highway map, unveiled in early 2021, together with missions to the moon and growing internationally viable satellite tv for pc methods.
Following a range course of worthy of this obligation, Gezeravcı realized the necessities for an astronaut to hold out the nation’s first manned area mission.
“I received all of the training. I adopted a new way of life tailored to this task, and from that point forward, I was completely channeled into it,” he defined.
He stated they obtained low-pressure ring and centrifuge coaching to satisfy the mission’s physiological necessities. While their our bodies have been subjected to the power of gravity, we developed the bodily talents required to hold out duties.
“We learned how the space station operates normally, as well as how to handle emergencies. We completed theoretical and practical training for the scientific experiments that will be carried out specifically for our mission. We received survival training for emergency scenarios that we may encounter during our return to Earth,” he stated.
Possible emergency eventualities
After being strapped into the spacecraft’s chair for launch, Gezeravcı stated the time had come for Türkiye to witness the launch, which made him joyful.
“The moment of launch was incredible. I was mentally rehearsing the reactions and procedures that we would use in possible emergency scenarios, as we might need this information during the mission and need to be prepared for anything at any time,” he stated.
To one other query, Gezeravcı famous that the facial space seems extra swollen than on Earth as a result of accumulation of fluids within the higher elements of the physique within the absence of gravity. However, they’ve particular train packages to forestall bone density and muscle mass loss.
Some imaginative and prescient issues and immune system weaknesses can happen on account of the change in stress in physique fluids, although he has not personally skilled this, he stated.
“Both Turkish and foreign scientists are constantly researching to understand the effects of living in space on the body and to develop countermeasures against them. In fact, I am conducting some studies and collecting data here on the ISS to contribute to the work of Turkish scientists,” he added.
12 to fifteen totally different duties each day
Gezeravcı stated his life on the ISS is meticulously deliberate by a staff of consultants.
Each day begins with a convention at mission management, the place he performs 12 to fifteen duties of various lengths and content material. These duties embody scientific experiments from different international locations, monitoring of remark factors world wide, and obligations of “making totally different broadcast connections such because the connections we make with you, performing our well being assessments, and taking medical samples.
“In this restricted time, I’ve many scientific experiments and research to conduct for Turkish scientists, I’ve to make use of my time very nicely and full all deliberate actions as now we have been making ready for months,” he added.
Missing Turkish delicacies
Gezeravcı emphasised that with the arrival of him and his crew, for the primary time within the 25-year historical past of the ISS, area vacationers from so many alternative international locations have been on the orbiting station on the identical time.
“Currently, we have space travelers from seven countries with nine different nationalities working together, and we do some activities together, for instance, we conduct our experiments alone, but we work together and help each other in some of the video and photo shoots that we send back to Earth. We also get together for meals when we are not working on our planned activities,” he stated.
In phrases of meals, Gezeravcı stated their dietary routine is similar because it was on Earth, and that they selected what they needed to eat and drink after they arrived on the orbiting station whereas within the U.S. in April.
“The main criteria for determining food and beverages were to meet the daily calorie target and to eat healthy,” he stated.
“The meals and drinks we specified have been ready at some stage in our keep on the station and packaged to be transported as cargo earlier than launch, and even earlier than we arrived on the area station, our meals was already transported. All these particular meals have been protected in vacuum packaging throughout manufacturing, in order that they continue to be recent for lengthy intervals, although I nonetheless miss the Turkish delicacies,” he added.
Source: www.dailysabah.com