Brazil-Florida Business Award Honorees

Astronaut Marcos Pontes was born in the city of Bauru, state  of São Paulo.  He is an R1 Aviator Lieutenant Colonel of the Brazilian Air Force, an Aeronautical Engineer by the Aeronautical Technological Institute (ITA), a Master of Systems Engineering by the Naval Postgraduate School of California (United States).

A member of the 1998 astronaut class of NASA, Marcos Pontes is the only Brazilian to go into space and the first professional astronaut to officially represent a Southern Hemisphere country in space. Pontes went into space as part of the Centennial Mission (2006), the result of a partnership between the Brazilian Space Agency and the Russian Space Agency. He worked for 10 days at the International Space Station as a Mission Specialist, responsible for the maintenance of spacecraft systems and the carrying out of specific scientific research projects chosen by the Brazilian Academy of Sciences. 

He has extensive experience as a project and program manager, with work on relevant international projects in the aerospace industry at organizations such as NASA, JAXA, ESA and Boeing, in addition to 30 years' experience in risk management and operational safety.  With a strong military and academic background, Pontes holds a bachelor's degree in Public Management and serves as an ambassador of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), working mainly in sustainable development programs. 

In his capacity as a Minister of State, the Brazilian astronaut will have the mission to recover the strategic role of Science, Technology and Communications for the country's development, promoting the use of innovation and public policies to produce national knowledge, wealth for the country and quality of life for the Brazilians. Another area of focus will be the establishment of international cooperation agreements with countries and economic blocs.