Turkish restaurant chef to fly to space

ISTANBUL - Doğan News Agency

Turkish restaurant chef Ercan Kaygısız will fly to space. DHA photo

A restaurant chef from İzmir is to become the first Turkish space tourist after winning a draw on Monday.

Ercan Kaygısız, a father of two, won a draw held by Turkish heating brand UFO, who was awarding the winner of the campaign a trip to space.

“I immediately called my wife after finding out that I was the winner,” Kaygısız said. “But my colleagues did not believe me.”

Kaygısız said that he will take a prayer rug and The Quran with him to the space.

He will take preparation courses in Istanbul and Amsterdam in the last months of 2013 before the trip to space.

The company’s chairman Abdullah Yeşil congratulated Kaygusuz for his courage and said he would make history.

Kaygısız’s entire preparations and trip to space with the Lynx Mk II will be recorded.