Brazilian Space Agency
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| Brazilian Space Agency Agência Espacial Brasileira |
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| Established: | 10 February 1994[1] (formerly the Brazilian space program, 1961-1993) |
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| Command Structure: | Ministry of Science and Technology | |
| Administrator: | Sergio Gaudenzi | |
| Operational center: | Centro de Lançamento de Alcântara | |
| Budget: | $213 million (2008)[2] | |
| Website: | aeb.gov.br | |
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The Brazilian Space Agency (Portuguese: Agência Espacial Brasileira; AEB) is the civilian authority in Brazil that is in charge of the country's burgeoning space program. It operates a spaceport at Alcântara and a rocket launch site at Barreira do Inferno. The agency has given Brazil a leading role in space in the Latin American region, and has made Brazil into a valuable and dependable partner for cooperation in the International Space Station[3].
The Brazilian Space Agency is the heir to Brazil's space program. Previously, the program had been under the control of the Brazilian military; the program was transferred into civilian control on 10 February 1994.
It suffered a major setback in 2003, when a rocket explosion killed 21 technicians. Brazil successfully launched its first rocket into space on 23 October 2004 from the Alcântara Launch Center; it was a VSB-30 launched on a sub-orbital mission. Several other successful launches have followed.[4][5][6]
On March 30, 2006, AEB astronaut Marcos Pontes became the first Brazilian and the first native Portuguese-speaking person to go into space, where he stayed on the International Space Station for a week. During his trip, Pontes carried out eight experiments selected by the Brazilian Space Agency. He landed in Kazakhstan on April 8, 2006, with the crew of Expedition 12.[7]
The Brazilian Space Agency has pursued a policy of joint technological development with more advanced space programs. Initially it relied heavily on the United States, but after meeting difficulties from them on technological transfers, Brazil has branched out, working with other nations, including Ukraine, Israel, Argentina and China.
[edit] References
- ^ Presidency of Brazil: Law 8.854 "That creates the Brazilian Space Agency, and other measures".
- ^ National Congress of Brazil. 2008 Federal Budget: Brazilian Space Agency (Agência Espacial Brasileira). (pp. 208-213).
- ^ The Internet Encyclopedia of Science: Brazilian Space Agency
- ^ BBC World: Brazil Launches rocket into space
- ^ Space.com: Brazil completes successful rocket launch
- ^ Herald Tribune: Brazil launches rocket for gravity research
- ^ BBC World: First Brazilian goes into space
[edit] See also
- Federal institutions of Brazil
- List of space disasters
- Brazilian National Institute for Space Research - INPE
- Brazilian General Command for Aerospace Technology (CTA)
- Aeronautics Technological Institute (ITA)
- Marcos Pontes, the first Brazilian in space
[edit] External links
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