On January 12,1986, astronaut and physicist Franklin Chang-
Diaz became the first Hispanic American to fly in space on the
Space Shuttle Columbia, which orbited Earth 96 times, deployed
the SATCOM KU satellite used for broadcast television and
conducted experiments in astrophysics. It was a high point in
an aeronautical career with plenty of high points.
That six-day flight was the first of his seven space missions,
tying the record for most space flights held by astronaut Jerry
Ross.
He participated in three space walks on his last mission on the
Space Shuttle Endeavour launched on June 5, 2002, to resupply
the International Space Station and exchange its crew.
Franklin Ramon Chang-DÃaz will be 76 in
April.
