If one thought that the Ottoman Empire would be limited to the realm of Earth, one may need to think again, for as Turkey is working on reviving the Ottoman Empire, she has set her sights on the cosmos, as according to the Daily Sabah, Turkey is creating a space agency and preparing to send astronauts into space.
Three Turkish citizens with the required competence and skills will be chosen and receive two years of training to conduct scientific studies in space as part of Turkey’s newly announced National Space Program.
According to the information obtained by Anadolu Agency (AA) from the Ministry of Industry and Technology, the criteria for candidates will be set by people with aviation experience who also have expertise in aviation and space medicine, sports medicine and psychology.
National space agencies generally look for astronauts who have in-depth knowledge in fields such as science, technology, engineering and mathematics, as well as meet certain physical characteristics. While their experience in the fields of aviation and space is an advantage, candidates can be either selected from civilians or military personnel.
In order to fly in spacecraft and take spacewalks, candidates must also meet the anthropometric requirements for a spacesuit.
For health requirements, the near and far visual acuity of astronaut candidates must be 20/20 or be brought to this level by surgical procedures. Candidates also cannot suffer from blood pressure problems.
The program also requires candidates to be nonsmokers who do not consume alcohol. The candidates must also be psychologically stable.
After the training process, the candidates deemed most successful by the educational institution will be chosen for the space mission program.
The astronaut program will also include scientific experiments to be carried out on the international space station. These experiments can be either biological in nature or endurance tests for materials that have been developed in Turkey. The content of the scientific mission will be determined after interviews with universities and researchers.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced Turkey’s plans to land on the moon by 2023 in a press conference Tuesday during the inauguration ceremony of Turkey’s National Space Program and the Turkey Space Agency. (source)
Travel to space is not merely about exploration. It is primarily a military venture, as the purpose is to achieve a level of military domination over the Earth’s area in order to use it against other nations. Even if the Ottomans were to go into space, it would not change their fundamental approach and philosophies. In other words, without trying to sound outlandish, if “space wars” became a real thing, it would be the same as in the past, with Ottomans acting in a menacing way except this time with spacesuits and ships instead of boats, horses, or spears as in the past.
Time change but the nature of man does not.
But more importantly, a move to space suggests a major move towards military aerodefense. While the US has long dominated this area, in the future, one may encounter more Turkish fighters in a serious combat-type scenario when a major war happens. They will likely be formidable opponents, and very dangerous, as it is a monster which the US and Germany helped create but, as with all monsters, cannot be chained up forever, and always breaks out of its cage.