Erdoğan engages in video call with Gezeravcı aboard the ISS

ANKARA

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan yesterday engaged in a video call with Türkiye's first space traveler Alper Gezeravcı after the astronaut commenced his mission following SpaceX's successful docking of the Dragon spacecraft with the International Space Station (ISS).

During the call, Gezeravcı expressed his enthusiasm, stating, "I'm doing very well. I am happy to take part in a science mission as a Turkish astronaut. I am proud to represent my country and carry our flag on the International Space Station."

Erdoğan, for his part, inquired about the current stage of Gezeravcı's activities. He responded, "I completed the first step by transferring our experimental setups from the Dragon capsule to their pre-experiment storage locations inside the station. After that, I started our experiments within the planned schedule. I will be completing the experiments and recording them to bring them to our country."

Gezeravcı is set to conduct 13 different scientific experiments during his 14-day stay aboard the ISS. His teammates – Michael Lopez-Alegria, Walter Villadei and Marcus Wandt – will also engage in scientific studies across various predetermined fields.

Addressing the physical effects of the space environment on his body, Gezeravcı described notable changes. "Here, the fluids that should normally be distributed throughout my body are accumulating in the upper parts of my body," he explained, adding, "So far, I have no problems."

The Axiom-3 crew, launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Jan. 19, successfully docked with the ISS on Jan. 20. Gezeravcı and his fellow crew members were welcomed by the seven astronauts and cosmonauts who began their space mission on Sept. 27 last year.