Arnaldo Tamayo Méndez

Infobox Astronaut
name =Arnaldo Tamayo Méndez


type = Intercosmos Cosmonaut
nationality =Cuban
status =Living
date_birth =January 25, 1942
place_birth =Guantanamo, Cuba
occupation =Pilot
selection =1978 Intercosmos Group
time =7d 20h 43m
mission =Soyuz 38
insignia =|

Arnaldo Tamayo Méndez (born January 29, 1942) was the first Cuban cosmonaut and the first person from a country in the Western Hemisphere other than the United States to travel into earth orbit. He was also the first Hispanophone and first person of African ancestry in space.

Born in Guantánamo, [cite web |url= http://www.spacefacts.de/bios/international/english/tamayo-mendez_arnaldo.htm |title= Cosmonaut Biography: Arnaldo Tamayo Méndez |work=Spacefacts |accessdate= 2007-11-23] Tamayo graduated from the Cuban Air Force Academy and became a pilot in the Cuban Air Defense Force. He was selected as part of the Soviet Union's seventh Intercosmos program on March 1, 1978. His backup cosmonaut 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, and perhaps even find a cure. After 124 orbits of the Earth (lasting 7 days, 20 hours and 43 minutes), Tamayo and Romanenko landed 180 km from Dzhezkazgan. The landing was risky, as it was during the night. [cite web |url= http://www.astronautix.com/astros/tamendez.htm |title= Tamayo-Mendez |work=Encyclopedia Astronautica |accessdate= 2007-11-23]

Following his career as a cosmonaut, Tamayo was made Director of the Military Patriotic Educational Society (known as "SEPMI"), the Cuban version of the Boy Scouts. After his promotion to Brigadier General, he became Director of International Affairs in the Cuban armed forces.

Tamayo is married to Maria Lobaina and has two sons, Orlando (born 1968) and Arnaldo (born 1970).

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