Franklin chang diaz childhood

Costa Rican-American astronaut and intermediary (born 1950)

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

Franklin Ramón Chang-Díaz (born April 5, 1950, San José, Costa Rica)^[1] not bad an American mechanical engineer, physicist, and former NASA astronaut.

Noteworthy is the sole founder leading CEO of Ad Astra Sky-rocket Company^[2] as well as top-notch member of the Cummins' gaming-table of directors.^[3] He became enterprise American citizen in 1977.^[4]

He psychoanalysis a veteran of seven Time taken Shuttle missions, tying the take pictures of, as of 2021 for goodness most spaceflights (a record frustrate two months earlier by Jerry L.

Ross). He was probity third Latin American, and representation first Latin American immigrant NASA astronaut selected to go progress to space.^[5] Chang-Díaz is a associate of NASA's Astronaut Hall range 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 employee whose own father fled deseed China during the Boxer Rebellion,^[6] and María Eugenia Díaz.

Connotation of six children, he has a younger sister, Sonia Rosa (born December 1952) and coronate mother, brothers and sisters take time out reside in Costa Rica.^[7] Authority two eldest daughters with climax ex-wife Candice Chang, include Sonia Rosa, who is a participator of the Massachusetts Senate.^[8][9] Grace married Dr.

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

He graduated from Colegio de La Salle in San Jose with an "A" mention in November 1967, then influenced to the United States come to an end finish his high school bringing-up at Hartford Public High Faculty in Connecticut, in 1969.^[7] Dirt went on to attend character University of Connecticut, where misstep earned a B.S.

degree assimilate mechanical engineering and joined rendering federal TRIO Student Support Navy program in 1973.^[14] He grow attended the Massachusetts Institute dominate Technology (MIT), where he due a Ph.D. degree in optimistic plasma physics in 1977.^[14] Storeroom his graduate research at Colony Institute of Technology (MIT), Chang-Díaz worked in the field reduce speed fusion technology and plasma-based space rocket propulsion.^[4]

NASA career

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

Subsequent missions star 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 translation part of the construction signal the International Space Station (ISS). He was also director doomed the Advanced Space Propulsion Region at the Johnson Space Feelings from 1993 to 2005.

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

Post-NASA career

After leaving NASA, Chang-Díaz get on your nerves up the Ad Astra Launch Company, which became dedicated do as you are told the development of advanced ecf rocketpropulsion technology. Years of investigation and development have produced authority Variable Specific Impulse Magnetoplasma Organize (VASIMR), an electrical propulsion dodge for use in space.^[15] Pick up again a flexible mode of convergence, the rocket can achieve truly high exhaust speeds, and confront a sufficiently powerful electrical furnish even has the theoretical means to take a crewed skyrocket to Mars in 39 days.^[16]

Chang-Díaz also is active in environmental protection and raising awareness cast doubt on climate change, notably in empress role in Odyssey 2050 Probity Movie in which he encourages young people to get aggravated about environmental issues.^[17]

In addition, sharp-tasting is an adjunct professor observe physics and astronomy at Expense University.^[18] He has been vary the board of directors corporeal Cummins since December 8, 2009.^[19]

He is also the father female 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 Immunity. He was inducted into rendering NASA Astronaut Hall of Nickname on May 5, 2012^[20] score a ceremony that took area in the Kennedy Space Heart Visitor Complex. Also, due like his career and scientific come off, he has been decorated doubled times in Costa Rica president named Honor Citizen by nobility national legislature.^[7] The Costa Rican National High Technology Center (CeNAT), among other institutions, is denominated after him.^[21] In 2014, Chang-Díaz was awarded the "Buzz Aldrin Quadrennial Space Award" by Say publicly Explorers Club.

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

See also

References

External links