All Astronauts
ROOKIERetired—
ROOKIERetired—Other·🇨🇺 Cuba·Born 1942
Arnaldo Tamayo Méndez
First Cuban, first Latin American, and first person of African descent in space.
188h
Hours in Space
1
Missions
0
EVAs
—
EVA Time
I had dreamed of flying since I was a child… but before the revolution, all paths into the sky were barred because I was a boy who came from a poor black family.
Inspirations
Yuri GagarinFidel Castro
What they aspire to
He hoped his flight would show poor and Black children worldwide that space was open to them.
Biography
First Cuban, first Latin American, and first person of African descent in space. Flew to Salyut 6 on the Intercosmos program.
Before NASACuban Revolutionary Air Force MiG-15 pilot trained in the Soviet Union, certified as a combat pilot at age 19.
Notable Missions
Soyuz 38 / Salyut 6 (Intercosmos)
Beyond the Mission
Causes They Champion
Anti-racism in spaceflightCuban veterans affairsCuba-Russia friendship
Languages
SpanishRussian
Awards & Honors
- Hero of the Republic of Cuba
- Hero of the Soviet Union
- Order of Playa Girón
- Order of Lenin
Fun fact
Orphaned as a child and raised by relatives, he became the first Latin American and the first person of African descent to reach orbit.
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