Nationality Cuban Selection 1978 Intercosmos Group Space missions Soyuz 38 Status Retired Mission insignia First space flight Soyuz 38 | Rank Brigadier General Name Arnaldo Mendez Other occupation Pilot Time in space 7d 20h 43m Role Cosmonaut | |
Born 29 January 1942 (age 82)
Guantanamo, Cuba ( 1942-01-29 ) | ||
Arnaldo Tamayo Mendez- the First Person of African Heritage in Space
Arnaldo Tamayo Méndez (born January 29, 1942) was the first Cuban and the first person of African heritage in space. As a member of the crew of Soyuz 38, he became the first Cuban citizen and the first person from a country in the Western Hemisphere other than the United States to travel into Earth orbit.
Contents
- Arnaldo Tamayo Mendez the First Person of African Heritage in Space
- Cosmonauta cubano arnaldo tamayo m ndez
- Early life
- Intercosmos program
- Personal life
- References
Cosmonauta cubano arnaldo tamayo m ndez
Early life
Born in Guantánamo, Tamayo graduated from the Cuban Air Force Academy and became a pilot in the Cuban Air Force.
Intercosmos program
Tamayo was selected as part of the Soviet Union's seventh Intercosmos program on March 1, 1978. His backup in the Intercosmos program was fellow Cuban José López Falcón.
Tamayo, along with Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Romanenko, was launched into space aboard Soyuz 38 from Baikonur Cosmodrome on September 18, 1980, at 19:11 UTC. After docking with Salyut 6, Tamayo and Romanenko conducted experiments in an attempt to find what caused space adaptation syndrome (SAS), and perhaps even find a cure, and on the crystallisation of sucrose in microgravity, for the benefit of Cuba's sugar industry. The SAS experiment involved wearing special adjustable shoes for six hours every day that placed a load on the arch of the foot. After 124 orbits of the Earth (lasting 7 days, 20 hours and 43 minutes), Tamayo and Romanenko landed 180 km (110 mi) from Dzhezkazgan. The landing was risky, as it was during the night.
Personal life
Following his time in the Intercosmos program, Tamayo was made Director of the Military Patriotic Educational Society known as Sociedad de Educación Patriótico-Militar "SEPMI". After his promotion to brigadier general, he became Director of International Affairs in the Cuban armed forces.
Since 1980, he has been a Deputy in the Cuban National Assembly, representing his home region of Guantánamo Province.
He has been honored by the Cuban Government for being the first Cuban, the first Caribbean, and the first Latin American to go into orbit. He was awarded the titles of Hero of the Republic of Cuba and the Order of Playa Girón. He also is a recipient of the Hero of the Soviet Union award.
Tamayo is married and has two daughters and a son.
His space suit is preserved at the Museum of the Revolution in Havana.