Türkiye’s first space traveller bids farewell to ISS

Türkiye’s very first space traveller, Alper Gezeravci, has bid farewell to the International Space Station where he successfully conducted 13 experiments prepared by Turkish scientists and research institutions.

Part of the four-person Axiom Mission 3 (Ax-3) crew, Gezeravci undocked from the ISS onboard the SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule Freedom at 1420 GMT on Wednesday, concluding his extended 18-day stay at the station.

“We carried out all planned experimental activities on the ISS,” Project Manager Omer Atas tells TRT World from the mission control centre at Axiom Space headquarters in Houston, Texas, amid preparations for Gezeravci’s return.

Atas and his team have closely monitored Gezeravci from Houston throughout his journey. They are now coordinating his return, tracking the Freedom spacecraft as it descends upon the Earth, expected to splashdown approximately 48 hours later at one of seven potential sites in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Florida.

“After landing on Earth, the analysis phase will start. It is a long process, but we will let our people know about the results,” says Atas, expressing pride and joy as the manager of Türkiye’s inaugural human space flight mission.

"I'm happy to see that the entire country is excited for and supporting this project," adds Atas, who works for the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Türkiye (TUBITAK).

During a farewell ceremony on Friday, the trailblazing astronaut thanked the station’s Expedition 70 crew for their hospitality and expressed hope that his mission would be an inspiring first step for Türkiye’s bright future in space.

The crew was initially planned to stay on the ISS for 14 days, returning on Saturday, but their return was delayed three times due to unfavourable recovery weather, SpaceX said on X. During the extension, the astronauts further documented life aboard the station, taking pictures and recording outreach videos.

44-year-old Gezeravci’s time at the ISS was meticulously planned before he left Earth.

Throughout his stay at the orbiting station, his days began early, planning and reviewing all procedures for the day’s experiments. He would then meet with the crew and ground control to go over his schedule and discuss whether he needed additional assistance.

Astronauts at the ISS work just as we do here on Earth. They have an eight-hour work schedule each day. But Gezeravci was working extra hard compared to his colleagues on the station.

“Generally, astronauts from other countries don't work on the first day. But Alper had to start two of our experiments immediately because they were live experiments. It was critical that they got unpacked as soon as possible,” Atas explains.

It took Gezeravci almost eight hours just to set up all the experiments and get started on them. Additionally, since this was Türkiye’s first experience in crewed space missions, the experiments were more demanding than usual. Gezeravci sometimes worked overtime to complete his daily plan, making him the most hard-working astronaut on the station.

Besides work, the astronaut also devoted himself to fostering inspiration and motivation among students across Türkiye through regular participation in live question-and-answer sessions, aiming to ignite their passion for space science and technology.

Despite his busy schedule, the Turkish astronaut seemed to have developed a fondness for space.

He would take time to appreciate views of our blue planet and enjoy the rather discomforting microgravity environment which significantly impacts the cardiovascular system, causing blood and body fluids to accumulate unnaturally in the upper body.

Gezeravci himself, an F-16 fighter pilot from the Turkish Air Force, has described the experience as “flying without his metal wings”.

Recalling the live broadcast of the Ax-3 crew reaching microgravity for the first time, Atas says that even in those initial moments, they saw that Gezeravci “was enjoying the microgravity, playing with the pen in his hand."

He further explains that Gezeravci has been very comfortable in microgravity and didn’t exhibit any side effects, which allowed him to work very comfortably in space. Turns out, this quality is detrimental to conducting experiments on the ISS.

“Things are moving differently there than on Earth. In microgravity, they have to be extra focused on coordinating their movements while doing the experiments. I think this is the general difficulty for all astronauts in space,” Atas tells TRT World.

Gezeravci’s last and perhaps greatest challenge was packing up. According to Atas, much of the last two days were focused on packing as he had to make sure that the experiments would be safe on the return journey to Earth.

While microgravity poses discomfort for space travellers as the human body is naturally attuned to gravity on Earth, it offers endless opportunities for scientific research for that exact reason: removing the effects of gravity from biological, physical and chemical processes.

The 13 experiments Türkiye conducted on the ISS concerned a wide range of scientific fields, from materials science to biotechnology, electronic engineering, and cancer research, to help build a future for human existence in space and advance our technologies here on Earth.

“For metallurgy, TUBITAK researchers wanted to investigate the thermophysical properties of high entropy alloys, which are highly durable and show considerable resistance to corrosion,” Atas explained. The experiment, called UYNA, aims to create new generation alloys for space, aviation and defence sectors.

Other experiments included PRANET, created by middle school students from Türkiye's eastern city of Mus to examine the antibacterial effects of propolis in microgravity environments while also showcasing the value that Türkiye attaches to its youth.

The MIYELOID experiment from Hacettepe University looks into the effect of radiation exposure on cancer-causing suppressor cells in the space environment through blood samples taken from Gezeravci before and during his stay at the ISS. The astronaut will provide more samples upon his return to Earth.

Scientists from Ege University came up with EXTREMOPHYTE to investigate the response of plants to different levels of salt stress in the space environment. The experiment involves an endemic plant from Türkiye's Salt Lake, which has adapted to harsh conditions on Earth and can remove salt from soil and water. This experiment could contribute to future space ecosystems on other planets.

Gezeravci and his Ax-3 crewmates provided audio samples such as respiratory, speaking, and cough sounds for the experiment VOKALKORD from Halic University, which aims to investigate the effects of microgravity on the human voice with the support of artificial intelligence. Scientists are also hoping to utilise the technology to diagnose over 70 types of disease.

Another experiment Gezeravci conducted was by scientists from Bogazici University and TUBITAK, who collaborated on the UzMAn project to demonstrate a hybrid life support system for converting carbon dioxide to oxygen in closed environments like the ISS through microalgae that can survive in harsh conditions.

“Specifically for human space missions, this mission addresses important needs for Türkiye because our scientists had never had the opportunity to conduct microgravity research until now,” Atas tells TRT World.

At the beginning of the mission, they asked the Turkish science community what experiments they wanted to conduct in space. The 13 experiments that went to the ISS were selected out of 48 proposals from 37 universities and research centres.

“This is a huge number. It was impossible to perform so many experiments in just this mission,” Atas says, stressing that crewed space missions would continue to finish up the current experiments and carry out further ones.

“Our experiments in space will continue. We have long-term experiments in plans. One of them, for instance, requires a stay in space for a period longer than 14 days,” which was the length of Gezeravci's mission, Atas adds.

Türkiye’s second crewed space flight mission is planned for later this year and will be carried out by the country’s second astronaut, 31-year-old engineer Tuva Cihangir Atasever. He will go on a suborbital flight during which he will ascend to a certain altitude within the Earth’s orbit and let the spacecraft freefall for a few minutes, creating microgravity conditions.

“During that time, we are planning to conduct seven different experiments, which we are currently preparing for,” Atas says. Acknowledging the surprisingly short amount of time given for the experiments, he reassures that they can “conduct crucial experiments even in this short amount of time.”

“And Tuva is very fast,” he adds.

There is more to look forward to for Türkiye’s future in space. The TUBITAK Space Technologies Research Institute (TUBITAK UZAY) is currently working on a geosynchronous telecommunications satellite, which is planned to launch this year.

TUBITAK UZAY is also managing Türkiye's moon mission, AYAP-1, planned for 2026.

As Türkiye's space initiatives gain momentum, a broader vision for the nation's cosmic ambitions emerges, signifying Türkiye's growing presence in the global space community.

Calling on the Turkish youth to pursue careers in space and take part in further historic missions for the nation, Atas tells TRT World that “space technologies require many different disciplines to work together. … You don't have to be an aerospace engineer. Any science or engineering discipline can work on space technologies.”

Environmental engineers, for example, can develop life support systems, while chemists can work on chemical reactions to design more efficient rocket engines and doctors can work on human health in space missions, he adds.

“My advice to the Turkish youth is to focus on their education and develop a solid theoretical background to create solutions and practical development in space technologies.”