Astronaut pens letter to Turkish girl from space

KAYSERİ

A child from the Central Anatolian province of Kayseri has ranked first in a painting competition organized by the European Space Agency (ESA) after drawing the picture of Italian astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti, receiving a letter of thanks from her.

İlknur Sinem Sezer, a fourth-grade primary school student, applied to ESA’s painting contest named “Living in Space.”

The little girl became first in her category of the contest with a picture of Cristoforetti, who has been in the International Space Station since April 27.

The Italian astronaut penned a letter from the ISS to the little girl on earth, congratulating her success. She also sent a book and her epaulette along with the letter to Sezer.

“I was so happy when I got the letter,” the girl told İhlas News Agency on Sept. 13.

“She thanked me for drawing her portrait. I hope to meet her in person someday, too,” she added.

When asked what her future dream was, Sezer replied with no hesitation.

“I want to be Türkiye’s first female astronaut,” she stated.