Denied in Turkey

Breaking News --- another report by a major newspaper

Asahi Shimbun, one of the largest newspapers in Japan, published an article entitled "Todai Assistant Professor Claiming an Astronaut Candidate: Reasoning Denied by Turkish Government" on the web and in the November 14th printed issue.

This time, the article explicitly mentions the name "Serkan ANILIR". According to the article, Dr. Anilir had submitted a document issued by Turkish Ministry of Transportation to the University of Tokyo, as an evidence of his claim that he is an astronaut candidate.  (It is not clear from the article when the document was submitted by Dr. Anilir. Maybe during the recent investigation.) However, on November 13th, Asahi Shimbun obtained a written comment from Turkish government that "the document is not issued by Turkish MInistry of Transportation, and the content does not represent the fact".

The article also reports that Dr. Anilir also submitted similar letters which are supposed to be issued by NASA and a Professor in the US who invited him to NASA projects. However, they also denied the authenticity of the letters.

Asahi Shimbun interviewed Dr. Anilir in late October about the suspicion surrounding his astronaut candidate claim. He told the newspaper that he took an astronaut training course, based on an agreement between Turkish Air Force and NASA. He could not speak more details because it is a military matter.

The article also reports the problems with his publication list, which was already published by Nikkei.

Well, misrepresenting career in Japan is one thing (which would be certainly very bad), but fabricating an official document from Turkish government is quite another. Wouldn't it be a criminal offense in Turkey? Maybe Dr. Anilir is feeling so sorry about the problem, that he is cornering himself? An interesting observation is that, apparently he did not submit an "official document" from Turkish Air Force which played part according to his story. (see also this entry.)

Did the Turkish Air Force General recommend Dr. Anilir to NASA for an astronaut candidate?

Response from readers in Turkey indicates that, in Turkey, Armed Forces are very serious and fearful presence. So, I would like to provide more details about what Dr. Anilir told about his relation to Turkish Air Force General in his books.

I am showing images of Pages 15 - 17 from his book "Space Elevator". (See this entry for his books.) The relevant paragraphs, starting at the bottom of Page 15, reads (in Japanese):

その後、研究者としてNASAに行っていたある日、たまたま僕の母国トルコの空軍長が、NASA事業団のトップや米軍関係者と会談にやって来た。その当時のトルコでは、国内初めての宇宙飛行士を輩出しようという世論が盛り上がっていたのだが、一般に宇宙飛行士候補には軍関係者が多く、ほとんどの場合、空軍のパイロットや軍関係の研究者が選ばれるのが慣例だった。

僕もNASAで活躍するトルコ人として、その場に呼ばれ紹介してもらったのだが、特に長い会話をすることもなく、NASAでの研究内容や、過去の学歴など二、三の質問をされ、席を立った。

空軍長直々の推薦で、宇宙飛行士の候補の一人に選ばれた、とトルコから連絡があったのは、日本に帰ってきた後のことだ。

(skip to Page 17)

軍人でもない建築構法専攻の僕が、空軍長の推薦を受けられた理由。それは、スキー選手として国の代表になった実績があり、健康面で有利。空が好きだった一心で、大学時代に取得したパイロットの資格。様々な国に住んでいたから学べた、何か国語もの語学力。そして、宇宙開発に関わる研究をしていることだという。

空軍長という立場にありながら、軍人でもない僕を評価して、候補に加えてくれた彼の姿勢と柔軟な発想には、人間として頭が下がる思いだ。

人と人との出会いが、新しい旅を生み出す。

This may be translated to English as follows:

Later, when I was visiting NASA as a research scientist, it happens that the Air Force General (NOTE: the correct translation may be the Commander of the Air Force -- thanks for the comment) of my home country, Turkey, came to meet the top administration of NASA and people from American Military.

Around that time, in Turkey, there was a movement to produce the first astronaut from the nation. Usually, most of astronaut candidates have military background; it is customary to choose astronauts from Air Force pilots or research scientists at military institutions.

I was introduced at the meeting, as a Turkish national who was active at NASA. However, we did not talk much on the occasion. I left the table, after being asked just a few questions, like subject of my study at NASA and my academic back ground.

It was only after I came back to Japan, that I was notified I was selected as one of the astronaut candidates, thanks to a direct recommendation by the Air Force General.

The reasons why I won the recommendation by the Air Force general, even though I was not from military and was just majoring in architecture, were the following, I heard: My advantage in physical abilities, as I was once a member of Turkish national ski team. My pilot license that was obtained when I was a college student, just because I was fascinated with the sky. My skill in several languages, thanks to my experience of living in various countries. And finally, the fact that I was working on space development.

Even though he is from military, the Air Force General thought highly of me, who was outside the military, and added me to the list of candidates. This shows his fairness and flexible attitude, which I respect very much.

Meeting between people opens the door to new voyage.

Very vivid and moving story, isn't it? :) However, after seeing the questions surrounding the "astronaut candidate" claim, it might look different. The affiliation with NASA is discussed in another entry. The claim that he was a member of Turkish national ski team will be discussed elsewhere -- but did readers from Turkey know about that?!

There is a similar story on another book "The space in your pocket". Here, he also shows a photograph (shown at bottom) with the Air Force general. Although it was attributed to the later date, the caption clearly says the person in the picture is the General who recommended Dr. Anilir for an astronaut candidate. The caption says (in Japanese)

2008年5月14日。中央で後ろを向いているのはトルコの空軍長。僕を宇宙飛行士に推薦してくれた人物だ。イズミール大学で。

May 14th, 2008. The person in the center, showing his back, is Turkish Air Force General. This is the person who recommended me for an astronaut. At Izmir(?) University.

We can imagine how the Turkish Air Force General was proud and happy when he saw Dr. Aniril, who was selected as an astronaut candidate because of his recommendation, in spacesuit with stars and stripes on shoulder.

The apparently same photograph in color (shown below) can be found in his Japanese blog: (dated Dec 9, 2007) http://blog.anilir.net/?eid=622294
Strangely, in his blog, he describes the photo as a scene from "Infra-Free Workshop" at Izmir Economic University, in December 2007 (whereas the photo is dated as May 14th, 2008.) In the blog, he also says that the woman standing next to him is his mother.

According to the comment by Arda Mevlutoglu:
The young man in uniform is an NCO-cadet. He is in his second year in NCO School, hence the Roman numeral "II" just above the crescent and the star figure in the rank insignia. You can also see the letters "M.Y.O.", the abbreviation of "Meslek Yuksek Okulu", which translates as "Occupational High School" (?). M.Y.O is the place where NCO's are trained.

This basically means that, the older man in uniform standing against the camera is basically in charge of the younger man in uniform, i.e NCO-cadets. From this angle and color density, my educated guess is, he is a major, hence the silhouette of his rank symbols on top of his shoulders. He is light years away from being a general and aeons away from being the commander of Turkish Air Force or any other person who is authorized to advise Mr Anilir to any position such as an astronaut!

Has Dr. Anilir ever worked at NASA?

Dr. Serkan ANILIR claims that he has once worked at NASA as a leader of a space elevator project. According to what he writes in the Japanese book "The space in your pocket" (see also this entry):

• Started working at NASA in April 2001 as a member of "Space Elevator" project team, while he was still a Ph. D. student (p. 49)
• Later became an "advanced project leader" at NASA
• Returned to Japan after the project expired
• Obtained Ph. D. in March 2003
• Started working at JAXA after finishing Ph. D. ("lecturer" according to his book, but the official report says he was a "project research staff" which is usually a non-permanent, entry-level position)
• While he belonged to JAXA, he was also working at NASA
• He was selected as a NASA astronaut candidate in 2004, thanks to the recommendation by the Turkish Air Force General.

The claim of being an astronaut candidate was already examined in another entry. Here we will discuss his affiliation with NASA. NASA makes many documents available on web, which can be searched from here. However, a simple search with the keyword "Anilir" yields no result. How is it possible that he was an "advanced project leader" there and still managed to leave no trace in NASA documents? This adds to the doubt on the existence of "ATA space elevator project" which was carried out at NASA, according to his books in Japanese.

He was invited to a panel discussion at "113th J. I. Forum" by Koso Nippon (Japan Initiative) on December 20th, 2006. According to the record (in Japanese), he said (in Japanese)

でも、残念ですが、NASAも空軍ですし、私もNASAにいたとき大佐まで上がって、実はNASAの科学者も全部軍人です。

which is translated as

However, unfortunately, NASA is also [a part of] the Air Force. I was promoted to Colonel when I was at NASA; actually all the scientists at NASA are military personnel.

NASA was created according to "National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958", and is nothing but the civilian agency as defined in Sec. 102 (b)

The Congress further declares that such activities shall be the responsibility of, and shall be directed by, a civilian agency exercising control over aeronautical and space activities sponsored by the United States, except that activities peculiar to or primarily associated with the development of weapons systems, military operations, or the defense of the United States (including the research and development necessary to make effective provision for the defense of the United States) shall be the responsibility of, and shall be directed by, the Department of Defense;

It is very difficult to understand how Dr. Anilir misunderstood such a fundamental fact about NASA after working there as an "advanced project leader". It is even more difficult to understand how he could be promoted to Colonel by working at NASA. That would be a very special accomplishment, achieved only by Dr. Anilir. Maybe we should call him Col. Anilir, instead of Dr. Anilir, to show our respect :-) Oh, and by the way, this might solve the mystery why he was proudly wearing the spacesuit with the "stars and stripes" (American national flag.)

National Pride

This entry is not very informative, but I couldn't resist :)

As you know, NASA is an American organization. However, space development requires global cooperation, and there are many international people who are involved in NASA projects. They include international astronauts and astronaut candidates. Let us look at some pictures of those bright people. As you see, everybody has his/her national flag on shoulder -- astronauts are a national pride, of course!

Julie Payette (CSA - Canada)

[Image Credit: NASA]

Leopold Eyharts (ESA - France)

[Image Credit: NASA]

Paolo A. Nespoli (ESA - Italy)

[Image Credit: NASA]

Koichi Wakata (JAXA - Japan)

[Image Credit: NASA]

Christer Fugelsang (ESA - Sweden)

[Image Credit: NASA]

Serkan Anilir (??? - Turkey?)

[Image Credit: Serkan Anilir?]

Robert J. Hieb (NASA - USA)

[Image Credit: NASA]

Wait, what happened to "the first Turkish NASA astronaut candidate"??

(For a more serious analysis, see this entry).

Does Dr. Anilir's "ATA space elevator project" exist?

One of the most important works of Dr. Serkan Anilir is known as "ATA space elevator project". However, a careful examination reveals many questions, which make even the existence of the project doubtful.

In his Japanese books (for general public), he describes the "ATA space elevator project" was pursued at NASA. However, in Turkey, he claimed that he was the "Head of the Space Physics Department" of JAXA (Japanese counterpart of NASA), where the "ATA space elevator project" was carried out. However, there is no evidence of his claimed position and even of the Space Physics Department.

He gave a talk on the "ATA space elevator project" at ASANSOR 2005 in Istanbul, Turkey. His presentation file can be retrieved from here.

Note added (October 10, 2009): apparently the file is removed from ASANSOR site above. A colleague has a backup copy for your examination. Appeal to ASANSOR people: we would appreciate your co-operation to discover the truth.

The "cover" page (page 1) of the presentation is shown above.

On page 2, it appears that he lists the awards he obtained for the project. However, none of the records can be found from other sources.

On page 3, he shows the "ATA Project Team". Several people on this page are actually well-known persons (although we are not sure they are involved in the project.) However, there is an entry "Prof. Dr. Susumu NARA 2004 Physics Nobel Award Winner, Kyoto University". The physics Nobel laureates for 2004 were Gross, Politzer, and Wilczek (all in the USA). Moreover, no person of the name "Prof. Susumu NARA" is found among physicists at Kyoto, let alone among Japanese Nobel laureates.

On page 16, he presents a "U.S. Patent 6,378,203" which is supposed to be crucial for the "ATA space elevator project." However, the patent number given by him shows a completely different patent by different people. In fact, no U.S. patent related to Dr. Anilir can be found. You can verify that by yourself here: doing a search with "Anilir" as the search term yields no result.

The content of his presentation up to page 18 is introduction. Starting page 19, Dr. Anilir presents some technical analysis of the space elevator project. However, the technical part is very similar to the material on the webpage by Ranko Artukovic of Zadar, Croatia. In fact, many figures look identical. For example, we show page 21 of his presentation (left: upper panel), along with Fig. 2 of Artukovic (left:lower panel). At Internet Web Archive, you can verify that Artukovic's web page existed in 2001, well before Dr. Anilir's talk.

Finally, in his Japanese book "Space Elevator" (p. 32) and also in the web article, he uses a beautiful picture (shown left) to explain the "ATA Space Elevator project." However, it turns out that the same picture had appeared in the proceeding of International Astronautical Congress in 2004, by Dr. Brad Edwards. The picture actually consists of several parts, and these parts were first published in July 2004 issue of Discovery Magazine, in order to illustrate Dr. Edwards' plan for space elevators.

In conclusion, although the "ATA space elevator project" is often advertised as a very important project, the organization responsible for the project is unknown. The Project Team members include an unknown "Physics Nobel Award winner." The project is apparently based on a non-existing U.S. patent. More seriously, the technical analysis and the concept figures are strongly suspected of blatant plagiarism. It is difficult to expect that a real project on space elevator is ever carried out as "ATA space elevator project" led by Dr. Anilir.

Is Dr. Serkan ANILIR an astronaut candidate?

Dr. Serkan ANILIR is said to be the first Turkish national selected as a NASA astronaut candidate. The statement appears on the author bio of his books, articles about him published in magazines and on the web. [An example of his profile in English]

In fact, in one of his Japanese books "ポケットの中の宇宙" (poketto-no-naka-no-uchuu, the space in your pocket), he tells the vivid story how he became the astronaut candidate. There is even a picture of Dr. Anilir in spacesuit, with the caption "Distributed to media when Dr. Anilir was selected as an astronaut candidate in year 2004." The same picture in color (shown above) appears in the web page announcing Dr. Anilir's lecture at Wakayama University in October 2006.

However, his name cannot be found anywhere in the list of astronauts or astronaut candidates published by NASA.

http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/ascanbio.html

http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/astrobio.html （Americans）
http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/astrobio_international.html （non-Americans）

Moreover, serious problems are pointed out concerning his "spacesuit" picture:

• Such a picture in spacesuit is usually distributed from NASA when the astronaut is commissioned for a flight, but not when he or she is selected as an astronaut candidate.
• The NASA logo on the spacesuit is of an old style, which was discontinued after 1992.
  http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/insignia/text/insignia.html
  
• The spacesuit is also of an old model. Recent models of spacesuit have no joint between arm and shoulder parts (see http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/images/station/crew-18/html/jsc2007e19404.html )
• The mission badge on the spacesuit is the one for the mission STS-49 launched in 1992.
  http://science.ksc.nasa.gov/shuttle/missions/sts-49/mission-sts-49.html

Hence, there is a strong suspicion that Dr. Anilir's "spacesuit" picture is fabricated from an old picture taken in 1992. In fact, it is very similar to a picture of a NASA astronaut Mr. Richard J. Hieb who was on the STS-49 mission. It seems quite probable that Dr. Anilir's "spacesuit" picture is a fabrication based on the picture of Mr. Hieb in 1992.

Please also check another entry on the spacesuit picture.