Statement from SpaceX: Alper Gezeravcı's return journey to Earth postponed
It has been reported that the Dragon capsule, which includes Alper Gezeravcı, who holds the title of the first Turkish astronaut, will depart no earlier than February 5.
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The departure of Turkey's first astronaut, Alper Gezeravcı, from the International Space Station (ISS) has been postponed due to unfavorable weather conditions off the coast of Florida.
In a statement from SpaceX, it was announced that the Dragon capsule, which was scheduled to depart today, will now depart no earlier than February 5.
Gezeravcı was expected to depart from the ISS today at 14:00 Turkish time.
CONDUCTED 13 EXPERIMENTS IN 14 DAYS
Alper Gezeravcı conducted 13 experiments during his 14-day space mission. In a social media post, Gezeravcı stated, “The experiments I conducted in space help us understand the limitless beauties of Earth. Every step we take is for the future of our world.”
HOW WILL THE RETURN TO EARTH TAKE PLACE?
Gezeravcı and the 3 astronauts accompanying him will board the Dragon capsule that has been waiting for them docked at the space station for 14 days.
The return journey to Earth will take 12 hours.
After the hatches are closed, the capsule will undock from the space station and then perform a controlled deceleration to begin its return. During its atmospheric entry, it will be traveling at a speed of 27,000 kilometers per hour.
At this speed, which exceeds 20 times the speed of sound, the temperature on the outer layer of the capsule will rise above 7,000 degrees. To withstand this heat, SpaceX uses a heat shield called PICA.
After entering the atmosphere, the Dragon capsule, which slows down due to friction, will land after its parachutes are deployed.
The planned landing is expected to take place at one of 7 potential landing sites located in the Atlantic Ocean off the east coast of the US state of Florida and in the Gulf of Mexico to the west.