Arnaldo tamayo mendez biography of michael jordan

Cuban cosmonaut (born )

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Tamayo and the second or maternal family name is Méndez.

Arnaldo Tamayo Méndez (born 29 January ) is a Cubanmilitary officer, legislator, and former cosmonaut and the first person of African heritage in space.^[1][2] In , as a member of the crew of Soyuz 38, he became the first Cuban citizen, the first Latin American, the first person of African descent, and the first person from a country in the Western Hemisphere other than the United States to travel into Earth orbit.

Early life and military service

Tamayo was born on 29 January , in Baracoa, Guantánamo province, into a family of Afro-Cuban descent. Orphaned as an infant, he was adopted at age 1 by Rafael Tamayo and Esperanza Méndez.^[3] He began working at age 13 as a shoeshine and vegetable vendor and later worked as a carpenter's assistant.^[4][5]

During Journey to Space: Heroes of STEM - Hispanic Engineer MUBU