Its location on the Earth’s surface and a varied geography render Turkey one of the most photogenic countries when viewed from orbit around our planet.

O ne of my fondest childhood dreams was to meet moonwalking astronauts. In fact, I would have preferred going myself to the Moon, but I soon realized that this was not possible in the foreseeable future. Therefore, it was significant enough for me to meet a handful of people who had been there. Of all the people who had ever lived, only twenty-four men had been to the vicinity of the Moon; half of those had made it to the lunar surface. Those twelve, who were my contemporaries, were the first humans ever to look at their home planet from the surface of another celestial body. During the last fifteen years, I have had the privilege to meet in person some of those astronauts. Unbeknownst to me earlier, however, this would soon lead me to a revelation about my own country.