Marcos Pontes
- January 4, 2024
- Astronaut
Quick Facts
Marcos Pontes Biography
| Name | Marcos Pontes |
| Birthday | Mar 11 |
| Birth Year | 1963 |
| Place Of Birth | Bauru |
| Home Town | São Paulo |
| Birth Country | Brazil |
| Birth Sign | Pisces |
| Spouse | Francisca de Fatima Cavalcanti |
| Children(s) | Ana Carolina Pontes, Fábio Pontes |
Marcos Pontes is one of the most popular and richest Astronaut who was born on March 11, 1963 in Bauru, São Paulo, Brazil. Brazilian pilot who became the first Brazilian to go into space in 2006.
Like Marc Garneau he was also the first astronaut from his nation.
Marcos Cesar Pontes (born March 11, 1963) is a Brazilian Air Force pilot, engineer, AEB astronaut and author. He became the first South American and the first Lusophone to go into space when he docked onto the International Space Station aboard Soyuz TMA-8 on March 30, 2006. He is the only Brazilian to have completed the NASA astronaut training program, although he switched to training in Russia after NASA’s Space Shuttle program encountered problems. After Jair Bolsonaro’s victory as President of Brazil in 2018, Pontes was officially nominated to be Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, a post which he accepted days later.
Pontes is one of the most experienced jet pilots in the Brazilian Air Force (FAB), where he holds the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel and has flown more than 2000 hours in 25 different aircraft. In June 1998, he was selected by the Brazilian Space Agency to train in the NASA space program after he acquired a space-related background in the Aeronautical Engineering division of the Instituto Tecnológico de Aeronáutica (the Aeronautics Institute of Technology, or “ITA”). He began NASA training in August 1998 and qualified as Space Shuttle Mission Specialist in December 2000. He attended the Naval Postgraduate School of the US Navy in 1998.
He was married to Francisca de Fatima Cavalcanti and had two children.
Marcos Pontes Net Worth
| Net Worth | $5 Million |
| Source Of Income | Astronaut |
| House | Living in own house. |
Marcos Pontes is one of the richest Astronaut from Brazil. According to our analysis, Wikipedia, Forbes & Business Insider, Marcos Pontes 's net worth $5 Million. (Last Update: December 11, 2023)
As a fighter pilot with the Brazilian Air Force, he reached the rank Lieutenant-Colonel.
As a NASA Expedition 12 crewmember, he spent a week in space.
Pontes’ flight coincided with celebrations of the 100th anniversary of Brazilian aviation pioneer Alberto Santos-Dumont’s successful flight of a fixed-wing airplane in Paris in October 1906.
Height, Weight & Body Measurements
Marcos Pontes height Not available right now. Marcos weight Not Known & body measurements will update soon.
Who is Marcos Pontes Dating?
According to our records, Marcos Pontes married to Francisca de Fatima Cavalcanti. As of December 1, 2023, Marcos Pontes’s is not dating anyone.
Relationships Record : We have no records of past relationships for Marcos Pontes. You may help us to build the dating records for Marcos Pontes!
Pontes announced his intention to visit space a second time back in 2009.
Facts & Trivia
Marcos Ranked on the list of most popular Astronaut. Also ranked in the elit list of famous people born in Brazil. Marcos Pontes celebrates birthday on March 11 of every year.
On August 7, 2019 the resignation of Ricardo Galvão was published after his resignation on August 2. He was exonerated at the request of Bolsonaro. Directors of research centres linked to the Ministry asked Pontes to intercede on behalf of Galvão, something that did not happen.
Who was the first Brazilian astronaut?
A Russian Soyuz TMA-8 spacecraft with the ISS-13 crew: Brazil’s first astronaut Marcos Pontes, U.S. astronaut Jeffrey Williams and Russian cosmonaut Pavel Vinogradov, lifted-off from the launching pad at Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, March 30, 2006.
How many Brazilian astronauts are there?
ASTRONAUTS from Brazil The pantheon dataset contains 524 Astronauts, 1 of which were born in Brazil. This makes Brazil the birth place of the 39th most number of Astronauts behind Slovakia and Mexico.
Is Brazil in the ISS?
Brazil joined the ISS as a partner of the United States and this included a contract with NASA to supply hardware to the Space Station.
Does Brazil have a space program?
The Brazilian Space Agency (Portuguese: Agência Espacial Brasileira; AEB) is the civilian authority in Brazil responsible for the country’s space program. It operates a spaceport at Alcântara, and a rocket launch site at Barreira do Inferno. It is the largest and most prominent space agency in Latin America.
Why is China not allowed on ISS?
The ISS has two orbital segments, one principally controlled by Russia and one controlled by the US, although other states are permitted to contribute. However, China is effectively banned from participating by an act of Congress restricting NASA’s cooperation with Beijing.