Neil Armstrong and the Apollo 11 crew, who first set foot on the moon, visited Anıtkabir on October 20, 1969. After the Apollo team returned to Earth, they made visits to the important centers they had determined in the world. In this context, they visited Ankara and Anıtkabir.
This visit had a very important detail. A Turk, Arsev Eraslan, was working in the software team of Apollo 11. Arsev Eraslan was the person who wrote the program that enabled Apollo 11's return to Earth. Arsev Eraslan's father, Necdet Eraslan, was sent to France by Atatürk as the first engineer candidate of the Republic of Turkey. Necdet Eraslan trained himself to become a world-class engineer. He served at NASA and helped raise his son after him. His son, Arsev Eraslan, made an important development in the history of humanity.
Details about Necdet Eraslan and his son Arsev Eraslan;
Necdet Eraslan was sent to France by Atatürk as the first engineer candidate of the Republic of Turkey. Necdet Eraslan, who graduated from the National Aviation School here, returned to Turkey and worked as an aviation engineer at Eskişehir and Kayseri aircraft factories between 1930-37. Then, at Atatürk's request, he went to the USA in 1937 to receive rocket training. In addition to rocket training, he studied the planes and engines that Turkey bought from the USA. Necdet Eraslan, who teaches at CALTECH, rejected the offer of a lecturer by the USA, saying, "I have work to do in Atatürk's country." Returning to Turkey again, Necdet Eraslan produced the first diesel engines in Turkey, invented water turbines to deliver electricity to the villages, and gave lectures at universities. In 1963, he received an offer from NASA. Necdet Eraslan, who accepted this offer, trained the personnel who will take part in the project for the Apollo 11 project. All of these students worked on the Apollo 11 project. In other words, Necdet Eraslan indirectly contributed to the trip to the Moon. He wrote 24 books, worked on engine ignition, was the father of the foundation of TÜBİTAK and went down in history as the first aircraft engineer of the Republic of Turkey.
Arsev Eraslan was born on January 24, 1937. Arsev Eraslan, who was educated in Germany, went to the USA for his doctorate in 1959. He earned his doctorate in aerospace and aeronautics at North Carolina State University. While preparing to return to Turkey after her doctorate, she received an offer from NASA to work on the Apollo 11 project. Eraslan, who is a very critical name for NASA, explained the US citizenship offer he received in order to take part in secret projects on behalf of the USA; “NASA recruited me to the Apollo 1965 project in 11. At that time, I couldn't even get my diploma because I had a parking ticket. My passport has expired, my visa has expired. They asked me to fill out the US citizen form to participate in top secret projects. I said 'I can't fill it out', they couldn't convince me. In the end, 'If a war breaks out between the USA and Turkey, which side will you go to?' they said. I said, 'I love the USA, but Turkey is my homeland'. They wrote me a letter. In the letter, I wrote, 'I love both the USA and Turkey. They were convinced of this formula and gave a work permit. Such an application was made for the first time. It happened because NASA said, 'This guy is a must for us. Because there was no software programer at that time. If I were a U.S. citizen, my grandparents would have turned over in their graves.”
Arsev Eraslan, who started working for the Apollo 1965 project in 11, undertook the software task of the project. His mission was critical. He single-handedly developed the software that allowed the astronauts (Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins, and Edwin Aldrin) aboard Apollo 11 to return to Earth after landing on the Moon.
Source: Nasuh Bektaş / Odatv.com
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