100 students who participated in the “Turkish Space Travelers Program” carried out in cooperation with the Ministry of National Education, Turkish Space Agency (TSA) Presidency and Space Camp Türkiye, and 20 accompanying teachers received their certificates at the graduation ceremony. Children aged 9-15, selected by the Ministry of National Education and the Turkish Space Agency, participated in the trainings of the Turkish Space Travelers Program, which was given between January 29 and February 3 with a scholarship provided by Space Camp Turkey.  Students from 17 provinces, including Adana, Diyarbakır, Elazığ, Gaziantep, Karabük and Şırnak, successfully completed the program by receiving training in astronaut simulations, space shuttle flight missions, theoretical and applied astronomy.

Izmir Deputy Governor Dr. Fatih Kızıltoptak said in his speech at the graduation ceremony held at the Space Camp Türkiye Education Centre, “Works on space have also been instrumental in many technologies in daily life, from agriculture to health. It has interested every field of technology and has added value to the technological production capacities of countries.  Therefore, the contribution of the studies here to the developments in our country will be enormous.”

Turkish Space Agency President Serdar Yıldırım said, “For the first time with the National Space Program, a Turkish astronaut will be at the International Space Centre in October, when we will celebrate the 100^thanniversary of our Republic this year. The names of two people, one of whom was chosen as a principal and one as a substitute, will be announced by our President this month. They will immediately go to the USA to study. After 5-6 months of training, our first astronaut, who will go to the Space Station and work there, will meet with you and hold meetings when he returns.  He will tell you about his experiences. We are in very exciting times. If we are not in space, we will lose. As the person at the forefront of this business, I’m telling you that those who are not in space will be slaves very soon. We have important duties. This study was an important start to that.” 

The program consisted of unique activities such as the zero gravity wall, astronomy training in the digital planetarium, Moonwalk with VR, and virtual space flight with the Discovery Space Shuttle. The students participating in the program also met with Ege University Faculty of Science, Astronomy and Space Sciences Department Lecturer Prof.  Dr.  He received presentations from Serdar Evren about Solar and Solar Systems, Electrical and Electronics Engineer, Turkish Space Agency Employee Selman Demirkesen, about the Turkish Space Agency and its work, about rockets and rocket launch systems from Doç. Dr. Arif Karabeyoğlu, the general manager of Deltav Space Technologies Inc.