The Flight of Brazil's First Astronaut
- Paper number
IAC-06-E6.5.11
- Author
Mr. Alvaro Fabricio Dos Santos, Núcleo de Assessoramento Jurídico - NAJ/SJC, Brazil
- Year
2006
- Abstract
On November 12, 1906 at 4:45 pm, a crowd in the Champ Bagatelle in Paris witnessed the first motorized flight in history. Alberto Santos Dumont, a 33 year-old Brazilian, flew over the French capital for a distance of 220 meters at a height of 6 meters in his plane “14-Bis”. This year, when Brazilians celebrate the 100th anniversary of the 14-Bis flight, the first Brazilian astronaut will reach outer space. After 7 years of training in NASA’s facilities, in Houston/TX, USA, the Brazilian astronaut, Mr. Marcos Pontes, will finally take his first flight on board the Russian spaceship Soyuz to the International Space Station. The flight is scheduled for March 22, 2006. This event definitely crowns the Brazilian Space Program. On board the International Space Station, Mr. Pontes will test scientific experiments from Brazilian universities and research institutions in a microgravity environment. This paper presents the legal aspects of the contract signed between the Brazilian Space Agency and the Russian Space Agency (Roskosmos) regarding the flight of the Brazilian astronaut, with respect to insurance premium, liabilities, waiver of liabilities, and other considerations. The political decision to contract the Russian Space Agency for the flight of the Brazilian astronaut and Brazil’s current position regarding its participation in the International Space Station Program will also be mentioned.
- Abstract document
- Manuscript document
IAC-06-E6.5.11.pdf (🔒 authorized access only).
To get the manuscript, please contact IAF Secretariat.