Turkish Astronaut Joins International Crew for Suborbital Flight
Turkish Astronaut Tuva Cihangir Atasever Set for Suborbital Spaceflight on Virgin Galactic’s Mission
A team of astronauts, including Turkey’s second space traveler, Tuva Cihangir Atasever, will lift off from New Mexico on Saturday for a suborbital research flight aboard Virgin Galactic’s VSS Unity.
Atasever will serve as a research astronaut on the mission, designated Galactic 07. The launch is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. local time (0230 GMT) and will include six crew members: three astronauts (two American and one Italian) and two pilots.
The flight is expected to last about 70 minutes. The VSS Unity will reach an altitude of approximately 45,000 feet (over 13,700 meters) on a carrier aircraft before activating its hybrid propulsion system to ascend to around 55 miles (90 kilometers).
During the approximately three-minute free-fall phase, Atasever will conduct seven scientific experiments under microgravity conditions.
Virgin Galactic announced in May that it had opened a new facility in Southern California to produce next-generation Delta spacecraft, capable of performing eight missions a month.
Scientific Experiments
Atasever will wear a modified astronaut suit equipped for three experiments, including the “Beacon” brain imaging experiment. This experiment uses a near-infrared spectroscopy device to examine blood flow in the brain’s prefrontal cortex and cerebrospinal fluid dynamics. Additionally, samples will be collected to study psychological changes from viewing Earth from space.
The IvmeRad Radiation Dosimeter experiment will measure radiation exposure, helping predict future exposure for space travelers in real time.
The Space Insulin Pen Test, a collaborative project between the Turkish Space Agency (TUA) and Axiom Space, will assess the efficiency of two different insulin pens in space for the first time, testing treatment methods for future diabetic space travelers.
Another experiment, Vesicle Analysis in Suborbital Flight, will use a specially designed microchip to analyze biological samples taken from Atasever before and after the flight. This study aims to develop therapies to help astronauts better adapt to space travel.
Three additional experiments — Message, Metabolom, and Miyeloid — will be repeated during Atasever’s flight after being conducted during an earlier mission to the International Space Station by Turkey’s first astronaut, Alper Gezeravci. Message measured the effects of microgravity on human physiology, Metabolom investigated biomolecular changes induced by space flight, and Miyeloid examined changes in cell groups that suppress immune system responses during inflammatory diseases.
Atasever’s mission follows Turkish astronaut Gezeravci’s historic trip to the International Space Station this January as part of Axiom Mission 3.
