Facts on 18 September
1980 - Cosmonaut Arnold Tamayo, becomes the first black sent on a mission in space

On this date in 1980, Cosmonaut Arnold Tamayo, a Cuban, becomes the first black sent on a mission in space. Arnold Tamayo, along with Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Romanenko, was launched into space aboard Soyuz 38.

After docking, Tamayo and Romanenko conducted experiments, in an attempt to find what caused space adaptation syndrome, and perhaps even find a cure.

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