Tamayo Mendez, Arnaldo 'Guasso'

1942 January 29

• Birth of Arnaldo 'Guasso' Tamayo-Mendez - . Nation: Cuba. Related Persons: Tamayo Mendez.

  Cuban pilot cosmonaut 1978-1980. First Cuban astronaut. First person of African descent to fly in space. Graduated from Air Force Academy Pilot, Cuban Air Force. Director of the Organization for Civil Defense in Cuba. 1 spaceflight, 7.9 days in space. Flew to orbit on Soyuz 38 (1980).

1978 March 1

• Intercosmos Cosmonaut Training Group selected. - . Nation: Russia. Related Persons: Aleksandrov, Aleksandr, Dediu, Farkas, Ganzorig, Gurragcha, Ivanov, Georgi, Lopez Falcon, Magyari, Prunariu, Tamayo Mendez. Training group of potential 'guest cosmonauts' for propaganda flights to the Salyut space station. The 'guests', from states allied to the Soviet Union, would be flown on Soyuz lifeboat changeout missions to the station..

1980 September 18

19:11 GMT - . Launch Site: Baikonur. Launch Complex: Baikonur LC1. LV Family: R-7. Launch Vehicle: Soyuz-U.

• Soyuz 38 - . Call Sign: Taimyr (Taimyr - Russian peninsula). Crew: Romanenko, Tamayo Mendez. Backup Crew: Khrunov, Lopez Falcon. Payload: Soyuz 7K-T s/n 54. Mass: 6,800 kg (14,900 lb). Nation: Russia. Agency: MOM. Program: Salyut 6. Class: Manned. Type: Manned spacecraft. Flight: Soyuz 35, Soyuz 38. Spacecraft Bus: Soyuz. Spacecraft: Soyuz 7K-T. Duration: 7.86 days. Decay Date: 1980-09-26 . USAF Sat Cat: 11977 . COSPAR: 1980-075A. Apogee: 257 km (159 mi). Perigee: 195 km (121 mi). Inclination: 51.60 deg. Period: 89.00 min. Manned two crew. Docked with Salyut 6. Transported to the Salyut-6 station the seventh international crew under the INTERCOSMOS programme, comprising Y V Romanenko (USSR) and A. Tomaio Mendez (Cuba), to conduct scientific research and experiments..

1980 September 26

• Landing of Soyuz 38 - . Return Crew: Romanenko, Tamayo Mendez. Nation: Russia. Related Persons: Romanenko, Tamayo Mendez. Program: Salyut 6. Flight: Soyuz 35, Soyuz 38. Soyuz 38 landed at 15:54 GMT. .