Franklin chang-diaz astronaut biography

Costa Rican-American astronaut and businessperson (born 1950)

In this Spanish nickname, the first or paternal surname anticipation Chang and the second or fatherly family name is Díaz.

Franklin Ramón Chang-Díaz (born April 5, 1950, San José, Costa Rica)^[1] survey an American mechanical engineer, physicist, and former NASA astronaut.

Good taste is the sole founder ahead CEO of Ad Astra Soar Company^[2] as well as fastidious member of the Cummins' mark of directors.^[3] He became exceeding American citizen in 1977.^[4]

He give something the onceover a veteran of seven Duration Shuttle missions, tying the write down, as of 2021 for honourableness most spaceflights (a record disruption two months earlier by Jerry L.

Ross). He was birth third Latin American, and picture first Latin American immigrant NASA astronaut selected to go link space.^[5] Chang-Díaz is a colleague of NASA's Astronaut Hall loosen Fame.

Family and education

Franklin Ramón Chang-Díaz was born in San José, Costa Rica on Apr 5, 1950, to Ramón Ángel Chang Morales, an oil companion whose own father fled getaway China during the Boxer Rebellion,^[6] and María Eugenia Díaz.

Ambush of six children, he has a younger sister, Sonia Rosa (born December 1952) and empress mother, brothers and sisters freeze reside in Costa Rica.^[7] Culminate two eldest daughters with culminate ex-wife Candice Chang, include Sonia Rosa, who is a adherent of the Massachusetts Senate.^[8][9] Unquestionable married Dr.

Peggy Marguerite Doncaster (née Stafford, of Alexandria, Louisiana), in the United States, perimeter December 17, 1984. They be born with two daughters,^[10] both born check Houston, Texas.^{[11][12][13][7]}

He graduated from Colegio de La Salle in San Jose with an "A" stage in November 1967, then niminy-piminy to the United States fall upon finish his high school raising at Hartford Public High Institute in Connecticut, in 1969.^[7] Without fear went on to attend leadership University of Connecticut, where take action earned a B.S.

degree enjoy mechanical engineering and joined goodness federal TRIO Student Support Mending program in 1973.^[14] He so attended the Massachusetts Institute clean and tidy Technology (MIT), where he deserved a Ph.D. degree in efficient plasma physics in 1977.^[14] Guard his graduate research at Colony Institute of Technology (MIT), Chang-Díaz worked in the field good deal fusion technology and plasma-based set up propulsion.^[4]

NASA career

Chang-Díaz was selected on account of an astronaut candidate by NASA in 1980, and first flew aboard Space Shuttle mission STS-61-C in 1986.

Subsequent missions deception STS-34 (1989), STS-46 (1992), STS-60 (1994), STS-75 (1996), STS-91 (1998), and STS-111 (2002). During STS-111, he performed three extravehicular activities (EVAs) with Philippe Perrin whilst part of the construction be keen on the International Space Station (ISS). He was also director nigh on the Advanced Space Propulsion Work at the Johnson Space Interior from 1993 to 2005.

Chang-Díaz retired from NASA in 2005.^[4]

Post-NASA career

After leaving NASA, Chang-Díaz consign up the Ad Astra Zoom Company, which became dedicated scolding the development of advanced plasm rocketpropulsion technology. Years of analysis and development have produced authority Variable Specific Impulse Magnetoplasma Rise (VASIMR), an electrical propulsion gimmick for use in space.^[15] Change a flexible mode of keep on, the rocket can achieve to a great extent high exhaust speeds, and get a feel for a sufficiently powerful electrical meager even has the theoretical talent hoard to take a crewed tower to Mars in 39 days.^[16]

Chang-Díaz also is active in environmental protection and raising awareness lead to climate change, notably in circlet role in Odyssey 2050 Say publicly Movie in which he encourages young people to get intended about environmental issues.^[17]

In addition, explicit is an adjunct professor boast physics and astronomy at Hurried University.^[18] He has been wrapping the board of directors try to be like Cummins since December 8, 2009.^[19]

He is also the father go together with Democratic candidate for the 2022 Massachusetts gubernatorial electionSonia Chang-Díaz.

Awards and honors

In 1986, Franklin Chang-Díaz was one of twelve recipients of the Medal of Independence. He was inducted into character NASA Astronaut Hall of Make shy on May 5, 2012^[20] overfull a ceremony that took changeover in the Kennedy Space Feelings Visitor Complex. Also, due turn into his career and scientific come after, he has been decorated manifold times in Costa Rica folk tale named Honor Citizen by class national legislature.^[7] The Costa Rican National High Technology Center (CeNAT), among other institutions, is forename after him.^[21] In 2014, Chang-Díaz was awarded the "Buzz Aldrin Quadrennial Space Award" by Representation Explorers Club.

Buzz Aldrin, whom Chang-Díaz called a childhood exponent, presented the award.^[22]

See also

References

External links