A Turkish space technician, part of the team involved in the production of SpaceX Dragon, which carried the nation's first astronaut and three other crew members to the International Space Station (ISS), said he felt "incredibly proud" when Alper Gezeravcı flew to space.
The team of four will conduct more than 30 scientific studies during their 14-day stay, with Gezeravcı responsible for 13 of them.
"I was involved in the production and testing of the Dragon Spacecraft ... I've worked more on impact systems. Dragon cannot travel to space alone," Samet Saray recently said in his interview with Anadolu Agency (AA).
He said the spacecraft can be used for long-term missions.
"It needs a certain amount of propulsion to get to the International Space Station on its own," he added.
He said he had met many NASA astronauts, but no one impressed him as much as Gezeravcı.
"I was incredibly proud, I was touched," he said.
"One of us, who speaks the same language as I do and shares my culture, is traveling to space and I have a small part in this. This was a great thing. I was incredibly impressed," he said.
A SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule carrying the Axiom quartet lifted off atop a Falcon 9 rocket late on Jan. 18, marking the start of the inaugural mission for Türkiye, with Gezeravcı already concluding some six of planned 13 experiments.
Gezeravcı continued his work Saturday on the ISS with his seventh experiment, named "gMetal," as per a separate AA report.
Talking about the impact of this space journey on Türkiye, Saray said: "This is a project that will significantly strengthen the defense industry."
Saray works for Supernal, a U.S.-based firm developing electric flying cars.
"These can make vertical landings and takeoffs, fly like an airplane, self-drive. At first, they will cater to public transportation, but later, they will be developed for individuals," he said.
After 2028, he said, "the sky will be more crowded."
"I think it's a little like 'The Jetsons' are coming into our lives," he said, referring to the 60s animated sit-com about a family living in the future.
"We will also see that technology is developing much faster in the near future," he said.