"I hope to make you proud," says the new astronaut as he sends a message to Puerto Rico during an interview with El Nuevo Dia.

Houston, Texas - Recognizing the importance of representing Puerto Rico and the Latino community, Marcos Gabriel Berríos officially became a National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) astronaut on Tuesday, with the opportunity to go, in the coming years, to the International Space Station (ISS) and be the first Puerto Rican to set foot on the moon.

"I hope to make you proud. Thank you for the support you have given me," Berríos said in an interview with El Nuevo Día shortly after the ceremony, speaking to Puerto Rico, to whose beaches he hopes to return for vacation in as soon as two weeks.

Berríos, who turned 40 in January, is one of 10 new NASA astronauts who graduated from the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, along with two from the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

He is part of NASA's 23rd class of astronauts, named after "the flies." "This is the result of a lot of effort, a lot of dedication. It is also a dream and a goal accomplished," said Berríos, a doctor in Aeronautics, pilot and major in the U.S. Air Force.

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