View source for Franklin Chang-Díaz

{{Short description|Costa Rican-American astronaut and entrepreneur (born 1950)}}
{{Family name hatnote|[[Chang (surname)|Chang]]|[[Díaz]]|lang=Spanish}}
{{Use American English|date=February 2022}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2022}}
{{Infobox astronaut
|name        = Franklin Chang-Díaz
|image       = Changdiaz.jpg
|caption     = Chang-Díaz in 1997
|birth_name  = Franklin Ramón Chang-Díaz
|birth_date  = {{birth date and age|1950|4|5}}
|birth_place = [[San José, Costa Rica|San José]], Costa Rica
|death_date  = 
|death_place = 
|children    = [[Sonia Chang-Díaz|Sonia]]
|education   = [[University of Connecticut]] ([[Bachelor of Science|BS]])<br>[[Massachusetts Institute of Technology]] ([[Master of Science|MS]], [[Doctor of Science|ScD]])
|type        = [[NASA astronaut]]
|time        = 66d 18h 16m
|selection   = [[NASA Astronaut Group 9|NASA Group 9 (1980)]]
|missions    = [[STS-61-C]]<br>[[STS-34]]<br>[[STS-46]]<br>[[STS-60]]<br>[[STS-75]]<br>[[STS-91]]<br>[[STS-111]]
|insignia    = [[File:STS-61-c-patch.png|40px]] [[File:Sts-34-patch.png|40px]] [[File:Sts-46-patch.png|40px]] [[File:Sts-60-patch.png|40px]] [[File:Sts-75-patch.png|40px]] [[File:Sts-91-patch.png|40px]] [[File:Sts-111-patch.png|40px]]
}}
'''Franklin Ramon Chang-Díaz''' (born April 5, 1950, [[San José, Costa Rica]])<ref name="Curr Bio">{{cite book|title=Current Biography Yearbook 2011|year=2011|publisher=H.W. Wilson|location=Ipswich, MA|isbn=9780824211219|pages=[https://archive.org/details/currentbiography0000unse_z0h6/page/121 121–124]|chapter=Chang-Díaz, Franklin|chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/currentbiography0000unse_z0h6/page/121}}</ref> is a Costa Rican-American [[Mechanical engineering|mechanical engineer]], physicist, and former NASA astronaut. He is the sole founder and CEO of [[Ad Astra Rocket Company]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Board of Directors|url=http://www.adastrarocket.com/aarc/board-of-directors|access-date=October 23, 2017}}</ref> as well as a member of the [[Cummins]]' board of directors.<ref>{{cite web|title=Board of Directors|url=https://www.cummins.com/company/leadership/board-of-directors|access-date=October 23, 2017}}</ref> He became an American citizen in 1977.<ref name=ws20071114>{{cite web |url=http://www.pbs.org/kcet/wiredscience/story/80-franklin_chang_diaz_astronaut_and_rocket_scientist.html|title=Franklin Chang-Diaz: Astronaut and Rocket Scientist|website=[[PBS]] |access-date=January 12, 2010|url-status=bot: unknown|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071115161244/http://www.pbs.org/kcet/wiredscience/story/80-franklin_chang_diaz_astronaut_and_rocket_scientist.html|archive-date=November 15, 2007}}, ''[[Wired Science]]'', November 14, 2007</ref>

He is a veteran of seven [[Space Shuttle missions]], tying the record, as of 2021 for the most [[spaceflights]] (a record set [[STS-110|two months earlier]] by [[Jerry L. Ross]]). He was the third [[Latin American]], and the first Latin American immigrant NASA astronaut selected to go into space.<ref>{{cite web|last=NOVA Science Now|title=Profile: Franklin Chang-Diaz|url=https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/video/marathon-mouse-dinosaur-plague-franklin-chang-diaz/|publisher=PBS |access-date=April 21, 2011}} The first Latin American to go into space was [[Arnaldo Tamayo Méndez]] from [[Cuba]] in 1980 (through the [[Soviet Union]]) and second was [[Rodolfo Neri Vela]] from [[Mexico]] in 1985.</ref> Chang-Díaz is a member of NASA's [[Astronaut Hall of Fame]].

== Family and education ==
Franklin Ramón Chang-Díaz was born in [[San José, Costa Rica]] on April 5, 1950, to Ramón Ángel Chang Morales, an oil worker whose own father fled from China during the [[Boxer Rebellion]],<ref>[http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3433800026.html Chang-Díaz, Franklin R.: 1950—: Astronaut, Physicist] Encyclopedia.com. Retrieved: May 5, 2012</ref> and María Eugenia Díaz. One of six children, he has a younger sister, Sonia Rosa (born December 1952) and his mother, brothers and sisters still reside in Costa Rica.<ref name="nasabio"/> His two eldest daughters with his ex-wife Candice Chang, include [[Sonia Chang-Díaz|Sonia Rosa]], who is a member of the [[Massachusetts Senate]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.bostonherald.com/news/politics/view.bg?articleid=1130129|title=Sonia Chang-Diaz grabs Senate seat - BostonHerald.com|access-date=November 8, 2006|newspaper=Boston Herald|date=November 5, 2008|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120910134923/http://news.bostonherald.com/news/politics/view.bg?articleid=1130129|archive-date=September 10, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2008/09/17/a_senate_fixture_toppled/|title=A Senate fixture toppled: Chang-Díaz defeats embattled Wilkerson in primary|access-date=November 8, 2008 |newspaper=Boston Globe|date=September 17, 2008|first=John C.|last=Drake}}</ref> He married Dr. Peggy Marguerite Doncaster (''née'' Stafford, of [[Alexandria, Louisiana]]), in the United States, on December 17, 1984. They have two daughters,<ref>{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20120329131711/http://www.babsonlatinamerica.com/forum2012/work/dr-franklin-r-chang-diaz/ Dr. Franklin R. Chang-Diaz – Keynote Speaker]}} Babson. Retrieved: May 5, 2012</ref> both born in [[Houston]], [[Texas]].<ref name="tse">[http://www.tse.go.cr/consulta_persona/consulta_nombres.aspx Consultas de hechos y actos civiles y electorales] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100510131149/http://www.tse.go.cr/consulta_persona/consulta_nombres.aspx|date=May 10, 2010}} Tribunal Supremo de Elecciones. Retrieved: May 5, 2012 {{in lang|es}}</ref><ref name="díaz">[http://wvw.nacion.com/ln_ee/ESPECIALES/raices/diazmunoz1.html La familia Díaz de San José] La Nación. Retrieved: May 5, 2012 {{in lang|es}}</ref><ref name="kit">[http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/presskit/1996/STS-75_Press_Kit.txt Space Shuttle Mission STS-75 Press Kit] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211008094819/https://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/presskit/1996/STS-75_Press_Kit.txt |date=October 8, 2021 }} NASA February 1996</ref><ref name="nasabio"> {{cite web |url=https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/chang-diaz_franklin_0.pdf|title=Biographical data: FRANKLIN R. CHANG-DÍAZ (PH.D.) NASA ASTRONAUT (FORMER)|publisher=NASA|access-date=January 11, 2021 |date=September 2012}}</ref>

He graduated from Colegio de La Salle in San Jose with an "A" grade in November 1967, then moved to the United States to finish his [[high school]] education at [[Hartford Public High School]] in Connecticut, in 1969.<ref name="nasabio"/> He went on to attend the [[University of Connecticut]], where he earned a [[Bachelor of Science]] degree in [[mechanical engineering]] and joined the federal [[Federal TRIO Programs#Student Support Services|TRIO Student Support Services]] program in 1973.<ref name=bio>[http://www.spacefacts.de/bios/astronauts/english/chang-diaz_franklin.htm Spacefacts Biography of Franklin Chang-Diaz] ''Spacefacts'' Retrieved July 18, 2011</ref> He then attended the [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology]] (MIT), where he earned a [[Doctor of Philosophy]] degree in applied [[plasma physics]] in 1977.<ref name=bio/> For his graduate research at [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology]] (MIT), Chang-Díaz worked in the field of [[nuclear fusion|fusion]] technology and plasma-based [[rocket propulsion]].<ref name=ws20071114/> Post-graduation from [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology]] (MIT) in 1979, Chang-Díaz was responsible for developing a novel technique that used an inertial fusion reactor chamber to accurately align fuel pellets to collide with one another in order to create a fusion event.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Persaud |first=Michael |date=2023-10-13 |title=Franklin Chang-Díaz: From Immigrant to Innovator |url=https://airandspace.si.edu/stories/editorial/franklin-chang-diaz-immigrant-innovator |access-date=2025-02-11 |website=airandspace.si.edu |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Inertial Confinement Fusion |url=https://www.lle.rochester.edu/education/graduate-studies/inertial-confinement-fusion/ |access-date=2025-02-11 |website=Laboratory for Laser Energetics |language=en-US}}</ref>

== NASA career ==
Chang-Díaz was selected as an astronaut candidate by [[NASA]] in 1980, and first flew aboard Space Shuttle mission [[STS-61-C]] in 1986. Subsequent missions included [[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 activity|extravehicular activities]] (EVAs) with [[Philippe Perrin]] as part of the construction of the [[International Space Station]] (ISS). He was also director of the Advanced Space Propulsion Laboratory at the [[Johnson Space Center]] from 1993 to 2005. Chang-Díaz retired from NASA in 2005.<ref name=ws20071114/>

== Post-NASA career ==
[[File:DiaFilmacionFranklinChangconEstudiantes.JPG|thumb|upright=1.0|right|Chang-Díaz with students during the filming of [[Odyssey 2050 The Movie]] at Ad Astra Rocket Company, 2010.]]

After leaving NASA, Chang-Díaz set up the [[Ad Astra Rocket Company]], which became dedicated to the development of advanced [[plasma rocket]] [[Spacecraft propulsion|propulsion technology]]. Years of research and development have produced the [[Variable Specific Impulse Magnetoplasma Rocket]] (VASIMR), an electrical propulsion device for use in space.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nasa.gov/vision/space/travelinginspace/future_propulsion.html|title=NASA - Propulsion Systems of the Future|publisher=NASA|access-date=September 25, 2012|archive-date=February 10, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150210053636/http://www.nasa.gov/vision/space/travelinginspace/future_propulsion.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> With a flexible mode of operation, the rocket can achieve very high exhaust speeds, and with a sufficiently powerful electrical supply even has the theoretical capability to take a crewed rocket to Mars in 39 days.<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://seedmagazine.com/content/article/a_rocket_for_the_21st_century/|title=Former astronaut Dr. Franklin Chang-Diaz explains how his plasma rocket engine could revolutionize space travel and why we need nuclear power in space|last=Billings|first=Lee|date=September 29, 2009|website=seedmagazine.com|publisher=Seed Media Group|access-date=January 10, 2016|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20161229164938/http://seedmagazine.com/content/article/a_rocket_for_the_21st_century|archive-date=December 29, 2016|url-status=unfit}}</ref>

Chang-Díaz also is active in [[environmental protection]] and raising [[Climate change education|awareness about climate change]], notably in his role in [[Odyssey 2050 The Movie]] in which he encourages young people to get motivated about environmental issues.<ref>{{cite web|last=Whelan|first=Ben|title=Odyssey 2050|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjFG-v82Sew|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140621062946/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjFG-v82Sew|archive-date=June 21, 2014|url-status=dead|publisher=British Embassy Costa Rica|access-date=February 28, 2012}}</ref>

In addition, he is an adjunct professor in physics and astronomy at [[Rice University]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://report.rice.edu/sir/faculty.detail?p=D50705E91B4F8D4FC665EBF1DEA48659|title=Franklin Chang-Diaz|work=Faculty Information System|publisher=Rice University|access-date=May 7, 2012|archive-date=February 13, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230213140149/http://report.rice.edu/sir/faculty.detail?p=D50705E91B4F8D4FC665EBF1DEA48659|url-status=dead}}</ref> He has been on the board of directors of Cummins since December 8, 2009.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://investor.cummins.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=112916&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1363388|title=Cummins.com &gt; News Article|date=December 8, 2009|access-date=July 24, 2016|archive-date=May 9, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170509162533/http://investor.cummins.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=112916&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1363388|url-status=dead}}</ref>

He is also the father of Democratic candidate for the [[2022 Massachusetts gubernatorial election]] [[Sonia Chang-Díaz]].

== Awards and honors ==
In 1986, Franklin Chang-Díaz was one of twelve recipients of the [[Medal of Liberty]]. He was inducted into the NASA [[Astronaut Hall of Fame]] on May 5, 2012<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.collectspace.com/news/news-050612a.html|title=Collect Space|publisher=Collect Space|date=May 6, 2012|access-date=September 25, 2012}}</ref> in a ceremony that took place in the [[Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex]]. Also, due to his career and scientific success, he has been decorated multiple times in Costa Rica and named Honor Citizen by the [[Legislative Assembly of Costa Rica|national legislature]].<ref name="nasabio"/> The Costa Rican National High Technology Center (CeNAT), among other institutions, is named after him.<ref>[http://www.cenat.ac.cr/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=74:contactenos&catid=34:demo&Itemid=78 Address: Building Dr. Franklin Chang Diaz, 1.3 km, North American Embajada Pavas, San Jose, Costa Rica] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181004185657/http://www.cenat.ac.cr/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=74:contactenos&catid=34:demo&Itemid=78 |date=October 4, 2018 }} Centro Nacional de Alta de Tecnología (CeNAT), 2011</ref> In 2014, Chang-Díaz was awarded the "[[Buzz Aldrin]] Quadrennial Space Award" by [[The Explorers Club]]. Buzz Aldrin, whom Chang-Díaz called a childhood hero, presented the award.<ref>{{cite news|title=Grupo científico mundial premia a Franklin Chang|url=http://www.nacion.com/vivir/ciencia/Grupo-cientifico-mundial-Franklin-Chang_0_1403059688.html|access-date=March 20, 2014|newspaper=La Nacion|date=March 18, 2014}}</ref>

== See also ==
* [[List of Asian American astronauts]]
* [[List of Hispanic astronauts]]
* [[Space exploration]]

== References ==
{{Reflist|30em}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category|Franklin Chang-Diaz}}
* [http://www.cenat.ac.cr Centro Nacional de Alta Tecnología Dr. Franklin Chang Díaz (CeNAT)]
* {{cite web|url=https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/chang-diaz_franklin_0.pdf|title=Biographical data: FRANKLIN R. CHANG-DÍAZ (PH.D.) NASA ASTRONAUT (FORMER)|publisher=NASA|access-date=January 11, 2021|date=September 2012}}

{{NASA Astronaut Group 9|state=expanded}}
{{U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chang-Diaz, Franklin}}
[[Category:1950 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:21st-century American engineers]]
[[Category:21st-century American physicists]]
[[Category:Costa Rican astronauts]]
[[Category:Costa Rican scientists]]
[[Category:Costa Rican emigrants to the United States]]
[[Category:Costa Rican people of Chinese descent]]
[[Category:Massachusetts Institute of Technology School of Science alumni]]
[[Category:University of Connecticut alumni]]
[[Category:United States Astronaut Hall of Fame inductees]]
[[Category:NASA civilian astronauts]]
[[Category:American aviators of Chinese descent]]
[[Category:Space Shuttle program astronauts]]
[[Category:Hispanic and Latino American scientists]]
[[Category:Spacewalkers]]
[[Category:Mir crew members]]
[[Category:Hispanic and Latino American physicists]]
[[Category:Chinese astronauts]]
[[Category:Hispanic and Latino American aviators]]