What did Franklin Chang Diaz discover?

He was inducted into the NASA Astronaut Hall of Fame in 2012. After retiring, Chang-Díaz became a space entrepreneur. He found the company Ad Astra Rocket, which develops space technology known as the VASIMR® plasma engine and has operations in both Texas and Costa Rica.

Why was Franklin Chang Diaz famous?

Franklin Chang-Díaz, (born April 5, 1950, San José, Costa Rica), Costa Rican-born American physicist and the first Hispanic astronaut. Chang-Díaz was a visiting scientist (1983–93) at MIT, where he led a project that developed plasma propulsion for use in human flights to Mars.

Did Franklin Chang Diaz go to the moon?

After graduating from high school in Costa Rica, Chang Díaz worked at a bank for a year to save money. In 1968, on a one-way ticket purchased by his father, he moved to Connecticut to live with relatives. It was the year of Frank Borman’s orbit of the moon. At the height of moon-flight frenzy, space was still his goal.

How many siblings did Franklin Chang Diaz have?

Ronald Chang
Sonia Rosa Chang-Díaz
Franklin R. Chang-Díaz/Siblings

Who is Franklin Chang Diaz and what did he do?

Franklin Chang Díaz. Jump to navigation Jump to search. Franklin Ramón Chang Díaz (April 5, 1950) is a Costa Rican American mechanical engineer, physicist, former NASA astronaut.

When did Franklin Chang Diaz retire from NASA?

Chang Díaz retired from NASA in 2005. After leaving NASA, Chang Díaz set up the Ad Astra Rocket Company, which became dedicated to the development of advanced plasma rocket propulsion technology.

How many children does Franklin Chang Diaz have?

One of six children, he has a younger sister, Sonia Rosa (born December 1952) and his mother, brothers and sisters live in Portland. His elder daughters are Jean Elizabeth (born December 1973) and Sonia Rosa (born March 1978) who is a member of the Massachusetts Senate.

Where was Sonia Chang Diaz born and raised?

Chang-Diaz was born on March 31, 1978, in Boston, Massachusetts in 1978. She has both Costa Rican and Chinese heritage through her father Franklin Chang Díaz , a Costa Rican American physicist and former NASA astronaut .