Marcos Pontes

Marcos Cesar Pontes (born March 11, 1963) is a Brazilian astronaut and lieutenant colonel of the Brazilian Air Force. In March 2006, he embarked on a one-week mission aboard the Soyuz TMA-8 and became the first Brazilian in space. To date, he is the only South American and native Portuguese speaker to have visited space. In late 2018, he was nominated Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation of Jair Bolsonaro's government (2019–2022).

Pontes at the Johnson Space Center, 2006.

Quotes

• People are the most important things in this life. Treat them as something precious because that is exactly what they are. Just like our beautiful Planet, we are all insignificant compared to the vastness of the Universe. We are all essentially equal. We are not alone and isolated: when you hurt someone, you hurt yourself; when you help someone, you help yourself.

• What someone says or writes about me doesn't change the way I am; it only changes my opinion about that person.
  • Webpage Astronauta Marcos Pontes - Entrevistas

• Our true motivation isn't sustained only by titles and material results of a campaign. Our actual reward is not to have "that" car, or to reach "that" specific post. In reality, we seek emotional satisfaction: to feel pleasure and happiness!
  • Artigo: Sucesso - Webpage Astronauta Marcos Pontes

• I believe in future generations; I believe in education, in the elimination of all that is worthless in our culture. We must leave only the good things. I don't need to explain this in detail. Every Brazilian knows which way of thinking and which negative attitudes comprise the root of the behavior that prevents our progress, with order, in a more accelerated rhythm.
  • Missão Cumprida (2011), chapter 114

• ...“We need to let go of this sardonic dog sentiment and believe that we have remarkable Brazilians, as Dumont was.”

- Source: Quem inventou o avião? Guia Completo e comentado da Aviação., by Marcos Palhares.

External links

• Official website (in Portuguese)