Arnaldo Tamayo Méndez

• Soyuz 38 (1980 )

Arnaldo Tamayo Méndez ( born January 29, 1942 in Guantánamo, Cuba ) is a pilot and former cosmonaut. He was the first Cuban in space.

Life

Arnaldo Tamayo Méndez is a graduate of the Cuban Air Force Academy. He was selected in 1977 by the Cuban authorities as a cosmonaut and recorded on March 1, 1978 by Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Centre as a cosmonaut in the Intercosmos program. His replacement was José Armando López Falcón. As a research cosmonaut of the eighth visiting team of Salyut 6 Tamayo Méndez flew on September 18, 1980 Soyuz 38 into space. With the landing at September 26, 1980 Méndez retired from the cosmonaut corps.

Tamayo Méndez was the Cuban Air Force pilot; later was appointed director of the Committee for the Defense of the Revolution. In December 2006, Tamayo Méndez holds the rank of brigadier general and is Director of International Relations of the Cuban Ministry of Defence.

Tamayo Méndez is married and has two sons.