Businesswoman to become first Turk in space

Hurriyet.com.tr

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The owner of the “Les Ottomans” hotel chain, Ahu Aysal Kerimoğlu, is set to become the first Turk to ever travel into space.
 
Kerimoğlu purchased a ticket from Space Expedition Curacao's (SXC) Turkey representative, VIP Tourism, for $95,000, Hürriyet reported today.
 
The businesswoman said she had been dreaming of traveling to space ever since she was a small child. "I wanted to spend time in space as well," Kerimoğlu said. The trip organized by SXC lasts a total of one hour and takes passengers 100 kilometers above the earth's surface, where they spend six minutes in a zero-gravity environment. 
 
"I am telling my grandchildren that they will be the first people whose grandmother traveled to space," Kerimoğlu said. "I am very excited. There will be a serious preparation and training phase before the trip."
 
SXC CEO Michiel Mol said the first trip would take place in 2014 and that they had sold 50 tickets worldwide for the one-hour journey into space. Passengers on this particular trip will not be able to see Earth in its entirety but will see a large portion of the planet from above and will be able to see its curvature, Mol said. 
 
Passengers will be given the title of "astronaut" after the trip, Mol said. 
 
VIP Tourism CEO Ceylan Pinçcioğlu said the trips to space will broaden its client base in time even though it currently appeals to people with higher incomes.