Happy birthday, space shuttle astronaut Dr. Franklin Chang- Díaz!

I've written about Dr. Franklin Chang Diaz several times before since he has achieved a number of firsts for astronauts.  Born April 5, 1950 in San Jose, Costa Rica, he became an American citizen in 1977 and was selected as an astronaut in 1980.

He is the first Hispanic American astronaut and the third Latin American in space.  His grandfather fled China during the Boxer Rebellion, so Chang Diaz has Chinese ancestry as well.  He is tied with Jerry Ross for the most space shuttle missions, at seven:

STS-61-C
STS-34
STS-46
STS-60
STS-75
STS-91
STS-111

He was inducted into the Astronaut Hall of Fame May 5, 2012.

Celebrating National Hispanic Heritage Month - Dr. Franklin Chang-Díaz, first Costa Rican astronaut

Franklin Chang-Diaz is NASA's first Latin-American astronaut and the first Costa Rican in space.  He is a veteran of 7 space shuttle flights, which is the most of any astronaut except for Jeffrey Ross, who has also flown on 7 missions.

He was born in San Juan, Costa Rica, but he is also of Chinese descent since his father's father was born in China.

Chang-Diaz has received many rewards for his accomplishments in science and was inducted into the NASA Astronaut Hall of Fame in 2012.

Cruising Puerto Limon, Costa Rica

The last stop on our cruise was Puerto Limon, Costa Rica.  It was Good Friday so most businesses were closed for the weekend. 

 

Entrance to a city park.

 

Air plants grow on trees.

 

They're difficult to see but there are two owls looking down at us.

 

The sloth was much easier to see.