Latinos+in+History+KJ

Resources
 * Scholastic - Latinos in History
 * FactMonster.com
 * [|Wikipedia]

Hispanic Astronauts who made a Difference


 * Ellen Ochoa
 * Rodolfo Neri Vela
 * Franklin R.Chang Diaz

Ellen Ochoa
 * Born in 1958 in Los Angeles, California
 * Married to Coe Fulmer Miles of Malalla, Oregon
 * Plays Flute and Private Pilot
 * 2 children
 * Graduated from Grossmont High School, La Mesa, California, in 1974, receiving a Bachelor of Science Degree in Physics from San Diego State University in 1980, and a Master of Science Degree and Doctorate in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University in 1981 and 1985.
 * Part of Optical Society of America (OSA), the american institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), Phi Beta Kappa and Sigma Xi honor societies,
 * Doctoral Student at Stanford and late as a researcher at Sandia National Laboratories and NASA Aes Research Center
 * Dr. Ochoa investigated optical systems for performing information processing.
 * Co-inventor on three patents for an optical inspection system, and optical object recognition method, and a method for noise removal in images.
 * Selected by NASA in January 1990, Dr. Ochoa became an astronaut in July 1991.
 * Veteran of 4 space flights and logged more than 978 hours in spaces
 * Chief of the Intelligent Systems Technology Branch at Ames, supervised 35 engineers and scientists in the research and the development of computational systems for aerospace missions.
 * Was selected by NASA in January 1990, Dr. Ochoa became a n astronaut in July 1991.
 * Served as Assistant for Space Station to the Chief of the Astronaut Office, lead spacecraft communicator in Mission Control and Acting Deputy Chief of the Astronaut Office.
 * She currently serves as Director of Flight Crew Operations at Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.
 * Many Award like NASA's Exceptional Service Medal ( 1997), Outstanding Leadership Medal (1995), an the Space Flight Medals (1993, 1994, 1999, 2002)
 * First female Hispanic Astronaut
 * I'll tell you, being involved in human space flight, it is an emotional endeavor. I think it brings in the highest highs and the lowest lows.

Rodolfo Neri Vela


 * Birth-February 19, 1952.
 * First Mexican Scientist and Astronaut who flew aboard a NASA Space Shuttle mission in the year 1985.
 * First and only Mexican and the second Latin American to have traveled to space.
 * Born in Chilpancingo de los Bravo, Guerrero, Mexico.
 * Professor for the Telecommunications Department in the Electrical Engineering Division of the Engineering Faculty at the National Autonomous University of Mexico(UNAM)
 * Mexican born of Spanish and Italian ancestry.
 * Received a Bachelor's degree in Mechanical and electrical engineering in 1975 and received a masters degree in science, and specialized ion telecommunications systems, in 1976 from the University of Essex, England.
 * Worked at the Institute of Electrical and Electronics engineers, U.S.
 * Neri has worked at the Institute of Electrical Research, Mexico in the Telecommunications Group, doing research and system planning on antenna theory and design, satellite communications systems, and Earth station technology.
 * Was a full time researcher at the Electric Engineering department of the Faculty of Engineering
 * Neri Vela has traveled 2.4 million miles in 108 Earth Orbits and logged over 165 hours in space.\
 * Quote-"From space I see myself as one more person among the millions and millions who loved, live, and will live on Earth. Inevitably, this makes one think about our existence and the way in which we should live to enjoy, to share, our short lives as fully as possible."

Franklin Chang Diaz
 * Born on April 5, 1950 in San Jose, Costa Rica.
 * Lived in San Jose, Costa Rica to the late Mr.Ramon A. Chang Morales and Mrs. Maria Eugenia Diaz de Chang.
 * Married to former Peggy Margueite Doncaster of Alexandria, Louisiana and has 4 children
 * Graduated from Colegio De La Salle in San Jose, Costa Rica, in November 1967 and from Hartford high school in Hartford Connecticut
 * In 1967, he moved to the U.S. and later studied at the University of Connecticut and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
 * NASA selected him to participate in their astronaut program in 1980. In 1986, he mad his first mission aboard //Galileo.//
 * On a 2002 mission, he repaired the International Space Station and Retired in 2005
 * First Hispanic to enter the space program
 * He was a veteran of nearly 6 space flights and logged 1600 hours in space.
 * Became an astronaut in August 1981.
 * In late 1982, he was designated as support crew for the first Space lab mission and in November 1983, served as in-orbit capsule communicator during that flight.
 * Retired from NASA in May 1980

Bibliography Ellen Ochoa Rodolfo Neri Vela Franklin Chang Diaz
 * http://www.biography.com/people/ellen-ochoa-10413023#awesm=~oBqSHgRSaKwZdj
 * http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/ochoa.html
 * http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/hispanic/ochoa.htm
 * http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/nerivela-r.html
 * http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rodolfo_Neri_Vela
 * http://amazingmexicans.com/?p=588
 * http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/chang.html
 * http://franklinchangdiaz.com/
 * http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franklin_Chang_D%C3%ADaz