Alper Gezeravci, Türkiye's first astronaut, recently met with students in Malatya to share his experiences from his 14 days in space, including the experiments he conducted.

Gezeravci's visit coincided with a conference held at the Malatya Congress and Culture Center as part of the Türkiye Century Education Model activities. He captivated the students with his firsthand account, addressing their curiosity about daily life in space, such as how astronauts eat, sleep, exercise, and conduct scientific research.

The program commenced with opening remarks by Behçet Bakır, the Provincial Director of National Education. Bakır expressed his immense pride and honor in hosting Gezeravci, the nation's first astronaut. He extended his gratitude to the Ministry of National Education, the Ministry of Industry and Technology, and all the contributing institutions on behalf of Malatya. Bakır emphasized the conference's potential to inspire the attending youth: "This conference will broaden the horizons of hundreds of students here today. It may even encourage one of them to make a significant contribution to our country's future."

Gezeravci, warmly received by the students and participants, acknowledged the importance of sharing his experiences. "As the rightful owners and heart of this mission, it is not a favor, but an obligation to share this accomplishment with you in detail," he declared. "Türkiye has become the 22nd nation out of 193 UN member states to send its own citizen into space for scientific research. This marks a historic first in the 100-year history of the Republic of Türkiye."

Gezeravci continued: "The Turkish Space Agency, established in 2018, consolidates our nation's space endeavors under one roof. Just two years later, our President, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, unveiled our space goals. Today's success is merely one of ten goals we are striving to achieve. We can expect many more exciting developments in Türkiye's space program, which will undoubtedly become an integral part of our lives in the near future."

The conference concluded with a Q&A session, allowing students to delve deeper into Gezeravci's experiences.