MIKE GRACIA

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.

Franklin Ramon Chang-Díaz will be 76 in
April.

Left: The crew of Apollo 12 – Charles “Pete” Conrad,
left, Richard F. Gordon, and Alan L. Bean. Right:

Apollo 12, the second manned mission to the surface of
the moon,was launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida,
with astronauts Charles Conrad, Jr.; Richard F. Gordon,
Jr.; and Alan L. Bean aboard.

President Richard Nixon viewed the liftoff from Pad A at
Cape Canaveral. He was the first president to attend the
liftoff of a manned space flight.

Thirty-six seconds after takeoff, lightning struck the
ascending Saturn 5 launch rocket (below )which tripped
the circuit breakers in the command module and caused
a power failure.

Fortunately, the launching rocket continued up normally,
and within a few minutes power was restored in the
spacecraft.

President Richard Nixon (white coat) viewing the liftoff of
Apollo 12.

     
    
  
    
    
    
   
Apollo 7, the first manned Apollo mission,was launched with
astronauts Walter M. Schirra, Jr.; Donn F. Eisele; and Walter
Cunningham aboard.

Viking 1, an unmanned U.S. planetary probe,was launched from
Cape Canaveral, Florida, on a mission to Mars on this day in
1975.

On June 19, 1976, the spacecraft entered into orbit around Mars
and devoted the next month to imaging the Martian surface with
the purpose of finding an appropriate landing site for its lander.

The same day, the craft sent back the first close-up photographs
of the rust-colored Martian surface.

In September 1976, Viking 2—launched only three weeks after
Viking 1—entered into orbit around Mars, where it assisted Viking
1 in imaging the surface and also sent down a lander.

First "clear" image ever transmitted from the surface of Mars
– shows rocks near the Viking 1 Lander (July 20, 1976).

First color image taken by the Viking 1 lander (July 21, 1976).