Türkiye Hails Its First Astronaut Who Returned From a 3-Week Mission to International Space Station 

Axiom-3 mission specialist Alper Gezeravci, of Türkiye, waves to family members as he arrives, Thursday, Jan. 18, 2024, at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., to prepare for this afternoons launch to the International Space Station. (AP)
Axiom-3 mission specialist Alper Gezeravci, of Türkiye, waves to family members as he arrives, Thursday, Jan. 18, 2024, at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., to prepare for this afternoons launch to the International Space Station. (AP)
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Türkiye Hails Its First Astronaut Who Returned From a 3-Week Mission to International Space Station 

Axiom-3 mission specialist Alper Gezeravci, of Türkiye, waves to family members as he arrives, Thursday, Jan. 18, 2024, at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., to prepare for this afternoons launch to the International Space Station. (AP)
Axiom-3 mission specialist Alper Gezeravci, of Türkiye, waves to family members as he arrives, Thursday, Jan. 18, 2024, at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., to prepare for this afternoons launch to the International Space Station. (AP)

Türkiye’s first astronaut returned home to a hero’s welcome Monday, portrayed as a symbol of the country’s advances in technology and aerospace.

Alper Gezeravci was greeted by bouquet-laden children at Ankara’s Esenboga Airport as he returned from a private three-week mission to the International Space Station. In return, he handed out Turkish flags he had carried with him into space.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has closely followed Gezeravci’s mission, declaring it a “new symbol of a growing, stronger and assertive Türkiye,” after the country marked its centenary last year.

Erdogan has spoken several times to Gezeravci, a 44-year-old former Turkish fighter pilot, since he left for Florida to prepare for the mission.

His space flight, for which Türkiye paid roughly $55 million, was the third such journey organized by Houston-based Axiom Space with NASA and SpaceX.

The expedition is seen in Türkiye as a source of national pride and a highlight of its technological advancement, especially in the field of aerospace and military development such as aerial drones.

Addressing journalists at Esenboga in front of a backdrop proclaiming “Türkiye’s First Manned Space Mission,” Industry and Technology Minister Mehmet Fatih Kacir said the mission was “a first, but it will not be the last. A new page has been opened in space science and technologies for Türkiye.”

Türkiye established its own space agency in 2018, and said it will land on the moon by 2026.

Gezeravci was joined on the trip by Italian air force Col. Walter Villadei and Sweden’s Marcus Wandt, a former fighter pilot. They were escorted by retired NASA astronaut Michael Lopez-Alegria, who now works for Axiom Space.

The crew returned in a SpaceX capsule that parachuted into the Atlantic off the Florida coast on Friday.

While in orbit, the astronauts conducted science experiments and chatted with schoolchildren and officials from their countries. They enjoyed a few extra days at the space station, waiting for the weather to improve in the splashdown zone.



Drought Has Dried Major Amazon River Tributary to Lowest Level in over 122 Years

 A part of the Negro River is dry at the port in Manaus, Amazonas state, Brazil, Friday, Oct. 4, 2024, amid severe drought. (AP)
A part of the Negro River is dry at the port in Manaus, Amazonas state, Brazil, Friday, Oct. 4, 2024, amid severe drought. (AP)
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Drought Has Dried Major Amazon River Tributary to Lowest Level in over 122 Years

 A part of the Negro River is dry at the port in Manaus, Amazonas state, Brazil, Friday, Oct. 4, 2024, amid severe drought. (AP)
A part of the Negro River is dry at the port in Manaus, Amazonas state, Brazil, Friday, Oct. 4, 2024, amid severe drought. (AP)

One of the Amazon River's main tributaries has dropped to its lowest level ever recorded, Brazil's geological service said Friday, reflecting a severe drought that has devastated the Amazon rainforest and other parts of the country.

The level of the Negro River at the port of Manaus was at 12.66 meters on Friday, as compared with a normal level of about 21 meters. It is the lowest since measurements started 122 years ago.

The previous record low level was recorded last year, but toward the end of October.

The Negro River's water level might drop even more in coming weeks based on forecasts for low rainfall in upstream regions, according to the geological service's predictions.

Andre Martinelli, the agency's hydrology manager in Manaus, was quoted as saying the river was expected to continue receding until the end of the month.

Water levels in Brazil's Amazon always rise and fall with its rainy and dry seasons, but the dry portion of this year has been much worse than usual.

All of the major rivers in the Amazon basin are at critical levels, including the Madeira River, the Amazon River's longest tributary.

The Negro River drains about 10% of the Amazon basin and is the world's sixth-largest by water volume. Manaus, the biggest city in the rainforest, is where the Negro joins the Amazon River.

For locals, the drought has made basic daily activities impossible. Gracita Barbosa, 28, works as a cashier on a floating shop on the Negro River.

She's out of work because boats that once stopped there can no longer navigate the river due to the low water levels.

Barbosa can no longer bathe in the river and now has to travel longer distances to collect drinking water.