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 Franklin Chang-Diaz was a duel citizen of Costa Rica and America. He faced many obstacles to become an astronaut and contribute the things that he did to science. He went through a lot of trouble and a lot of hard work to contribute all that he did.

Frankilin Chang-Diaz was born in San Jose, Costa Rica on April 5, 1950, to Mr. Ramón A. Chang-Morales and Mrs. María Eugenia Díaz De Chang. Franklin Chang-Diaz graduated from Colegio De La Salle in San José, Costa Rica, on November 1967. He also graduated from Hartford High School in Hartford, Connecticut, in 1969. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Connecticut in 1973 and a Doctorate in Applied Plasma Physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1977. Franklin Chang-Diaz received many awards in his time. He was awarded the University of Connecticut’s Outstanding Alumni Award (1980). He also received 7 NASA space flight metals. He received those awards in the years1986, 1989, 1992, 1994, 1996, 1998, 2002. Then he also received two NASA Distinguished Service Medals. Franklin Chang-Diaz recieved these medals through hard work and determination no matter what obstacles stood in his way. Although all the obstacles he faced from coming from San Jose, Costa Rica he still worked hard enough to accomplish and receive all of these awards. **("Astronaut Bio: Franklin Chang-Díaz (9/2012).")**

Franklin Chang-Diaz had many accomplishments when it came to experience, accomplishments, and contributions to science. In 1980 Franklin Chang-Diaz was selected to participate in the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) astronaut program ("Franklin Chang-Diaz:Costa Rican-American Physicist and Astronaut."). His first mission that he was selected to do was abourd the space shuttle the "Columbia" in 1986. Franklin Chang-Diaz's other shuttle flights included the Atlantis mission in October 1989, which deployed the Galileo spacecraft that explored Jupiter. Also on the Endeavor in June of 2002, during which he participated in three space walks to help repair the robotic arm of the International Space Station ("Franklin Chang-Diaz:Costa Rican-American Physicist and Astronaut."). While undergoing astronaut training, he was also involved in flight software checkout at the Shuttle Avionics Integration Laboratory (SAIL) and participated in the early space station design studies. In late 1982, he was designated as support crew for the first Spacelab mission and, in November 1983, served as in-orbit Capsule Communicator (CAPCOM) during that flight. From October 1984 to August 1985, he was leader of the astronaut support team at Kennedy Space Center, Florida. His duties included astronaut support during the processing of the various vehicles and payloads as well as flight crew support during the final phases of the launch countdown. He has logged more than 1,800 hours of flight time, including 1,500 hours in jet aircraft. Franklin Chang-Diaz's work at Draper was geared strongly toward the design and integration of control systems for fusion reactor concepts and experimental devices in both inertial and magnetic confinement fusion. In 1979, he developed a novel concept to guide and target fuel pellets in an inertial fusion reactor chamber. Later on, he was engaged in the design of a new concept in rocket propulsion, based on magnetically confined high temperature plasmas. As a visiting scientist with the MIT Plasma Fusion Center, from October 1983 to December 1993, he led the plasma propulsion program there to develop this technology for future human missions to Mars. From December 1993 to July 2005, Dr. Chang-Díaz served as Director of the Advanced Space Propulsion Laboratory at the Johnson Space Center, where he continued his research on plasma rockets. He is an Adjunct Professor of Physics at Rice University and the University of Houston and has presented numerous papers at technical conferences and in scientific journals (Astronaut Bio: Franklin Chang-Díaz (9/2012)." ).

Franklin Chang-Diaz was born in San Jose, Costa Rica. He was born on April 5, 1950. His mothers name was María Eugenia Díaz De Chang. His fathers name was Ramón A. Chang-Morales. A self-described "normal kid" growing up in Costa Rica in the 1950s, Chang-Diaz had an early interest in science and physics, building and launching his own rockets through the rain gutters of his grandparent's house. His parents fostered his enthusiasm, but offered some wise counsel as well. "You can't just be an explorer who goes along and looks for things," his mother told him. "You have to study and be a scientist, so you can tell what you're really finding." Inspiration also came from Chang-Diaz's father who always told him to believe in himself. "My dad was my hero," he said. "He instilled in me a very strong sense of self-assurance" (Shostak, Elizabeth. "Franklin R. Chang-Díaz: 1950—: Astronaut, Physicist."). His interest in space began at an early age and he believed strongly that the only way he would realize that dream is by moving to the United States. After finishing high school in the late 1960s, with his family's support, he left Costa Rica for the United States to pursue that dream ("Http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/franklin-chang-daz-5648.php.").// He experienced some challenges because he was not a U.S. citizen. He had been offered a scholarship to the University of Connecticut but was ineligible to receive it due to his citizenship status. A petition was raised and he was eventually allowed to receive one year of the scholarship and the in-state tuition rate //("Http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/franklin-chang-daz-5648.php.").

Franklin Chang-Diaz made many contributions to the science community. He is now 66 years old and he still lives to be a huge part of history to the science community. His contributions are supposed to significantly reduce the trip to mars.

=__**Sources **__= "Astronaut Bio: Franklin Chang-Díaz (9/2012)." //Astronaut Bio: Franklin Chang-Díaz (9/2012)//. National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Sept. 2012. Web. 22 Apr. 2016. .
 * This is a valid source because it is published by NASA and this the summary they wrote about him.

"Franklin Chang-Diaz:Costa Rican-American Physicist and Astronaut." //Encyclopedia Britannica//. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Apr. 2016. .
 * This is a good source because it gives valid information and is published by an encyclopedia

Shostak, Elizabeth. "Franklin R. Chang-Díaz: 1950—: Astronaut, Physicist." //Encyclopedia.com//. The Gale Group, Inc, 2003. Web. 26 Apr. 2016. .
 * This is a valid source because it gives good information also it is published by an encyclopedia.

"Franklin Chang-Diaz." The Famous People, n.d. Web. 26 Apr. 2016. .
 * This is a good source because it gives valid and true information.