Franklin Chang-Diaz: First Latino Inducted To The Astronaut Hall of Fame

First Latino Is Inducted To The Astronaut Hall of Fame

This weekend, the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame inducted retired NASA astronaut Franklin Chang-Diaz -- the first Latino inductee.

"I receive this honor with a great deal of humility because it is given to me by those who were always my heroes," said Chang-Diaz to collectSpace.com.

"To be recognized by those who you admire is even more powerful than to be just recognized at all."

Born in San Jose, Costa Rica, Chang-Diaz is the first Latin-American to go into space, a trip he has made seven times. He graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with a doctorate in Applied Plasma Physics in 1977.

Chang-Diaz was inducted alongside fellow astronauts Kevin Chilton and Charles Precourt.

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