An instagram account thought to belong to Alper Gezeravcı, a Turkish astronaut who last week became the country’s first citizen to reach outer space, has been revealed to be a fake account belonging to a fan.
Since Gezeravcı entered the International Space Station last Friday (January 19), an Instagram account with the handle alpergezeravci had been sharing posts related to life in space, including details of sleeping arrangements and sport routines. The account, assumed for several days to be the astronaut’s personal Instagram profile, was widely reported across Turkish news channels with headlines such as “Details from space you may be curious about,” “Gezeravcı answers your questions from space: how do the toilets work [aboard the International Space Station]?”.
On Monday (January 22), the account was reported to be fake in a tweet from the Turkish Space Agency, which clarified Gezeravcı’s actual Instagram handle as astroalper. Following the revelation, several Turkish news websites deleted content that had been posted related to the fake account.
In a lengthy Instagram post, the owner of the fake alpergezeravci account denied having tried to impersonate Gezeravcı, instead alleging that the posts had been shared as an enthusiast and fan, eager to share information regarding Turkey’s first astronaut to reach outer space.
Who is Alper Gezeravcı?
At Istanbul’s Teknofest leading up to Turkey’s general elections last April, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan had announced Gezeravcı as the first Turkish astronaut to be sent to space, adding that the mission was to be completed by the end of the year. Gezeravcı’s 14-day mission began last Friday from Florida, when the 44-year-old former air force pilot blasted off with an international group of colleagues. Following the astronaut’s arrival at the International Space Station, a live video call was held with Erdoğan in which the president congratulated Gezeravcı.
Written/translated by Leo Kendrick
