The
Brazilian Space Agency (Agência Espacial Brasileira, or AEB) honored the ongoing
spaceflight of their nation's first astronaut, Marcos
Pontes, with the introduction of commemorative stamps and coins during a Monday
ceremony.
The stamps, of which there are three that form a single panoramic image, will
be limited to a run of one million each and carry a face value of R$ 0,85
(approximately 39 cents U.S.).
Like Pontes' flight, which has been entitled Missão
Centario (the Centennial Mission), the stamps also honor the
centennial of the first heavier-than-air flight by Brazilian aviator Alberto
Santo-Dumont in 1906. In addition to Santos-Dumont's 14-bis flying machine, the
panes depict a Soyuz launch, orbiting spacecraft, the International Space
Station (ISS) and Pontes' personal mission insignia.
The medallions, to be minted in silver and bronze, also display the 14-bis, ISS
and Soyuz on one side with the image of a spacewalking astronaut on its
reverse. The phrase, "1º vôo brasileiro no espaço" (1st Brazilian
flight into space) also appears. The coins will be available to collectors for
R$ 135,00 bronze ($61 US) and R$ 185,00 silver ($84 US).
The public event took place in front of the headquarters of Correios, Brazil's
postal agency, at the Praça Dom Pedro II in São Paulo. AEB president Sergio
Gaudenzi was joined by Janio Pohren, president of the Empresa Brasileira de
Correios e Telegrafos (ECT), and Jose dos Santos Barbosa, president of Brazil's
Mint.
A similar ceremony will be held later in Bauru, Pontes' hometown. AEB and ECT
officials will attend, along with members of the astronaut's family.
For his part, Pontes is flying - and will later donate - three of the
medallions and six stamps, the latter of which he will cancel on the ISS. The
coins, one each, will be given to Brazil's president, AEB and the Mint. Stamps
will also go to the AEB and President, as well as to the Santos-Dumont
Aerospace Museum, the Brazilian Aerospace Memorial and the National Postal
Museum. The remaining carried stamp will be auctioned to benefit project Fome
Zero, an effort to end hunger in Brazil.
Marcos Pontes launched
into space on March 29 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Onboard the Soyuz
TMA-8 spacecraft with him were ISS Expedition
13 crew members Pavel Vinogradov and Jeffrey Williams. Pontes entered
the space station early Saturday, and is now spending a science-filled week in space
before returning to Earth with the ISS Expedition
12 crew.
In addition to the stamps and coins, Pontes also flew a jersey from Brazil's
five-time World Cup champion soccer team and a Brazilian
flag. The latter, Pontes said before his flight, was his most important
payload. "Actually, I am going with the flag, not the flag going with
me," he told reporters. The deep green banner displays constellations as
seen in the Southern Hemisphere skies above Brazil.
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