--- title: "Man Who Got Blown Away While Holding Huge Umbrella Announces Plan to Become Astronaut" description: "The hunt has begun for the world's first Turkish astronaut — and one of the country's kookiest minor celebrities has thrown his hat into the ring." date: "2022-05-26" modified: "2022-05-26" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/turkish-umbrella-astronaut" categories: - "Off-World" - "Space" tags: - "astronauts" - "international space station" - "the digest" - "turkey" --- # Man Who Got Blown Away While Holding Huge Umbrella Announces Plan to Become Astronaut ![The hunt has begun for the world's first Turkish astronaut — and one of the country's kookiest minor celebrities has thrown his hat into the ring.]() *\Image: Getty Images\* ## Umbrella Academy The hunt has begun for the world's first Turkish astronaut — and one of the country's most oddball minor celebrities has thrown his hat into the ring. As the [*Middle East Monitor* reports](), Sadik Kocadalli was jokingly referred to as "Turkey's first astronaut" in 2019 when video went viral of him [flying through the air during a huge storm](), while holding onto a large patio umbrella. ## Balkan Yeet Box Now, Kocadalli has joined the [tens of thousands of people vying]() to become the first Turkish person in space. "Our president is choosing some of the Turks to go to space," Kocadalli told the Ihsan News Agency after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced the hunt for a Turkish national to [send to the International Space Station](). "I also became famous as a flying man. Now I want to go to space, too." In the same interview, the umbrella man also acknowledged that he may not meet all of the criteria for space travel, and also received the endorsement by his friend, vegetable seller Mehmet Sabap. "I also support my friend," Sabap said. "Let him go to space." Send this man to space ASAP!!! **READ MORE:** [Man who flew on umbrella announces aim to become Turkiye's first astronaut]() \[*Middle East Monitor*\] **More on the ISS:** [*Check Out This Moon-Shaped Ice Crystal on the Space Station's Window*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()