The recent return to Earth of two American astronauts who spent nine months “stranded” in space has sparked relief and debate about a new era of space exploration. The test flight, which was supposed to last a week, was cut short by failures in the Starliner spacecraft that prevented the crew from returning.
Despite this incident, the development of aerospace technologies is at its peak with massive public and private investments in the sector, dominated by countries such as the United States, , China, Russia and India.
Brazil, however, was one of the pioneers of this industry in the 1960s, with initiatives that led to the creation of the National Commission for Space Activities (CNAE) (which gave rise to INPE), the Institute for Space Activities (IAE) and Avibrás, in São José dos Campos-SP, in addition to the construction of the Barreira do Inferno Launch Center, in Rio Grande do Norte. However, most of the achievements were overshadowed by the sequence of failures and discontinuation of strategic projects that left the country out of the current space race.
The details of this story, the main events and the reasons why the country has not yet taken off in space activities are now told in the book “BRAZIL IN THE SPACE ERA – Behind-the-scenes reports of the main events that occurred in six decades of space activities in Brazil”, by scientist Raimundo Almeida Filho.
“The purpose of the book is to show that Brazil had competent professionals, opportunities and projects with the potential to make the country a protagonist in the space age. Unfortunately, for various reasons, this did not happen. But I believe that learning from the past is essential for building new paths in the future,” says Almeida Filho, who has been cited in more than two thousand international scientific publications and speaks with gratitude about his career of dedication to science and technology.
A retired researcher from INPE, where he began his career in 1974, the author carried out a broad historical survey and rescued documents on the achievements and failures of programs that were marked by budgetary restrictions, ideological views and geopolitical issues that prevented Brazil from accessing sensitive technologies.
In 400 pages, the book tells an intriguing story that begins with projects from the federal government of Jânio Quadros up to the current istration of President Lula, as well as behind the scenes of partnerships with countries such as China, Ukraine, the United States and Argentina.
Published by Editora Viseu, the book is available at website by clicking here.
