Within the scope of the manned space mission, which is one of the important stages of the National Space Program, Alper Gezeravcı, Turkey’s first astronaut, met with students at Necip Fazıl Kısa Kısakürek Cultural Center, organized by Erzurum Provincial Directorate of National Education. In the program, Gezeravcı shared information about his experience in space, gave advice and answered questions.
Alper Gezeravcı stated that they carried out the 208th program in Erzurum, with 106 city changes after returning to the country from the execution of the manned space mission, and said, “We want to come to our young brothers, who are the guarantee of our future, and explain these mission processes, not only the technical dimensions of the mission, but also the technical aspects of the mission.” Rather, instilling the spiritual dimension in them will enable them to regain the self-confidence they deserve until now, and will help all those who persistently attempt to label their self-confidence until now. It contains content that will make their perspective on the future more confident, which will negate their efforts. “The questions of our brothers in the audience to whom we made the presentation, their approach to the event, and their level of attention prove once again that these brothers, on whom we build all our future goals, are truly the guarantee of our future,” he said.
“It was the starting point of a story, not a story of getting somewhere”
Emphasizing that the most important architect of the manned space mission process, which is an element of the National Space Program, is the strong will of the state, Gezeravcı said:
“We are an individual who was raised with the resources of our state, and we were able to go to space and carry out this mission with the resources of our state. We are grateful to the strong will of our state and the possibilities of our nation in this regard. In terms of the continuity of the process, as we emphasize everywhere, this was the starting point of a story, not a story of arriving somewhere. Therefore, with the execution of this mission, the first step of which we have taken, and the continuation of this mission, there is still a future for the Republic of Türkiye and many paths for these brothers to follow. “For this purpose, our state’s infrastructure preparations are currently continuing.”
“As long as no one casts a shadow”
Explaining that Turkish people are extremely advanced in terms of practical intelligence, Alper Gezeravcı said, “I will never be humble in this regard. Everyone can understand the routine flow when we come together with other nations of the world by reading it. But when the problem goes beyond the routine, when we go through emergency scenarios and when we come face to face with extraordinary conditions, it clearly reveals what kind of solutions can be produced in terms of rival intelligence to the children of this nation, which has been accustomed to struggling with difficulties in this geography where we have been for centuries. At this point, we don’t have the slightest doubt about their potential. As long as no one casts a shadow. “As long as no one tries to label their self-confidence and trample their potential,” he said.
Erzurum Director of National Education Yakup Yıldız presented an Oltu stone rosary, one of the important symbols of Erzurum, to Turkey’s first astronaut Alper Gezeravcı.
