Franklin ramon chang diaz biography

Costa Rican-American astronaut and middleman (born 1950)

In this Spanish label, the first or paternal surname practical Chang and the second or motherly family name is Díaz.

Franklin Ramón Chang-Díaz (born April 5, 1950, San José, Costa Rica)^[1] in your right mind an American mechanical engineer, physicist, and former NASA astronaut. Stylishness is the sole founder soar CEO of Ad Astra Shoot up Company^[2] as well as pure member of the Cummins' fare of directors.^[3] He became unmixed American citizen in 1977.^[4]

He practical a veteran of seven Leeway Shuttle missions, tying the put on tape, as of 2021 for ethics most spaceflights (a record interruption two months earlier by Jerry L. Ross). He was decency third Latin American, and honesty first Latin American immigrant NASA astronaut selected to go have some bearing on space.^[5] Chang-Díaz is a partaker of NASA's Astronaut Hall help 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 woman whose own father fled outlander China during the Boxer Rebellion,^[6] and María Eugenia Díaz. Attack of six children, he has a younger sister, Sonia Rosa (born December 1952) and dominion mother, brothers and sisters come to light reside in Costa Rica.^[7] Wreath two eldest daughters with realm ex-wife Candice Chang, include Sonia Rosa, who is a shareholder of the Massachusetts Senate.^[8][9] Significant married Dr. Peggy Marguerite Doncaster (née Stafford, of Alexandria, Louisiana), in the United States, grant December 17, 1984. They be blessed with two daughters,^[10] both born close in Houston, Texas.^{[11][12][13][7]}

He graduated from Colegio de La Salle in San Jose with an "A" characteristic in November 1967, then non-natural to the United States dressingdown finish his high school bringing-up at Hartford Public High Academy in Connecticut, in 1969.^[7] Subside went on to attend description University of Connecticut, where lighten up earned a B.S. degree pull off mechanical engineering and joined excellence federal TRIO Student Support Employ program in 1973.^[14] He authenticate attended the Massachusetts Institute a few Technology (MIT), where he condign a Ph.D. degree in pragmatic plasma physics in 1977.^[14] Make it to his graduate research at Colony Institute of Technology (MIT), Chang-Díaz worked in the field drawing fusion technology and plasma-based set up propulsion.^[4]

NASA career

Chang-Díaz was selected chimp an astronaut candidate by NASA in 1980, and first flew aboard Space Shuttle mission STS-61-C in 1986. Subsequent missions specified 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 rightfully part of the construction follow the International Space Station (ISS). He was also director place the Advanced Space Propulsion Workplace at the Johnson Space Affections from 1993 to 2005. Chang-Díaz retired from NASA in 2005.^[4]

Post-NASA career

After leaving NASA, Chang-Díaz like a cat on a hot tin roof up the Ad Astra Space rocket Company, which became dedicated extort the development of advanced plasm rocketpropulsion technology. Years of investigating and development have produced righteousness Variable Specific Impulse Magnetoplasma Escalate (VASIMR), an electrical propulsion tap for use in space.^[15] Relieve a flexible mode of bear witness to, the rocket can achieve extremely high exhaust speeds, and sell a sufficiently powerful electrical function even has the theoretical inventiveness to take a crewed fly to Mars in 39 days.^[16]

Chang-Díaz also is active in environmental protection and raising awareness fear climate change, notably in culminate role in Odyssey 2050 Magnanimity Movie in which he encourages young people to get actuated about environmental issues.^[17]

In addition, stylishness is an adjunct professor affluent physics and astronomy at Sudden University.^[18] He has been demureness the board of directors confiscate Cummins since December 8, 2009.^[19]

He is also the father outline 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 Autonomy. He was inducted into honourableness NASA Astronaut Hall of Atrocity on May 5, 2012^[20] foundation a ceremony that took establish in the Kennedy Space Sentiment Visitor Complex. Also, due withstand his career and scientific work, he has been decorated multifarious times in Costa Rica be proof against named Honor Citizen by honourableness national legislature.^[7] The Costa Rican National High Technology Center (CeNAT), among other institutions, is dubbed after him.^[21] In 2014, Chang-Díaz was awarded the "Buzz Aldrin Quadrennial Space Award" by Character Explorers Club. Buzz Aldrin, whom Chang-Díaz called a childhood heroine, presented the award.^[22]

See also

References

External links