Who is Boris Rodrigo from Rendezvous with Rama and what is their importance?

Lieutenant Boris Rodrigo is a communications officer aboard the spaceship Endeavour. Rodrigo is also a member of the Fifth Church of Christ. His religion is based on the belief that Jesus was in fact a visitor from space. Not surprisingly, the great majority of members of this Church, also known as Cosmo Christers, happen to work in a space-related domain. Lieutenant Rodrigo is appreciated among his peers and he makes no attempt to convert them to his own religious beliefs.