4 Hispanics at NASA

The 4 Hispanics Who Have Excelled at NASA

NASA Recognizes Its Hispanic Astronauts

In Honor of Hispanic Heritage Month

In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, NASA has decided to pay special tribute to the Hispanic astronauts who have made their mark in history.

These brave astronauts have not only flown to the International Space Station.

But have also made significant contributions to its assembly, operations, and research activities.

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Now we can continuous to the information of four Hispanics at NASA.

It is worth mentioning that their achievements are a living testament to the diversity and excellence that characterize the U.S. space agency.

Since the early days of space exploration, the Hispanic community has played a crucial role in outer space exploration and, above all, at NASA.

Their contributions span various fields, from engineering and sciences to leadership and communication, demonstrating the importance of diversity.

1.- Arnaldo Tamayo Méndez

Hispanics at NASA Photo Wikipedia/NASA

The first person of Hispanic heritage in space, who has become a historic figure, is Arnaldo Tamayo Méndez, originally from Cuba.

Arnaldo Tamayo was born in Guantánamo, Cuba, and he made his journey aboard the Soviet spacecraft Soyuz 38 in September 1980.

His excursion was part of Intercosmos, a largely propagandistic program by Moscow to send citizens of its satellite countries into space.

It’s worth mentioning that Tamayo was also introduced as the first person of African descent to go into space, according to NASA.

2.- Franklin R. Chang-Díaz

Hispanics at NASA, Photo: Wikipedia/NASA

The first Hispanic American in space was Franklin R. Chang-Díaz when he flew as a mission specialist aboard the STS-61C space shuttle mission in 1986.

Born in San José, Costa Rica, and of Cantonese descent on his paternal side, he seemed destined for success from a young age.

It’s known that when he arrived in the United States in 1968, Franklin Chang-Díaz had only $50 in his pocket and didn’t speak English.

It’s been revealed that the Hispanic spacefarer flew six more times, tying a record, including a visit to the Russian Mir space station and another to the space station.

3.- Rodolfo Neri Vela

Photo: Wikipedia/NASA

This list wouldn’t be complete without the first Mexican to go into space and the first Latin American representative on a NASA mission.

This is Rodolfo Neri Vela, who was born in Chilpancingo de los Bravo, Guerrero, on February 19, 1952. He studied Communications and Electronics Engineering at UNAM.

He was a crew member aboard Atlantis during the STS-61B mission and requested that tortillas be included in his food supply, according to the NASA website.

It’s worth mentioning that in 1985, Neri Vela became the first Mexican astronaut to go on a NASA mission aboard the aforementioned space shuttle «Atlantis.»

4.- Ellen Ochoa, Astronaut, and Scientist

PHOTO: NASA

Finally, we have Ellen Ochoa, an American astronaut and scientist of Mexican origin who has made a significant impact in space exploration and scientific research.

Born on May 10, 1958, in Los Angeles, California, Ochoa is especially known for being the first Hispanic woman to travel into space.

Similarly, the renowned Hispanic Ellen Ochoa joined NASA in 1990 and became an astronaut in 1991. She completed four missions on the space shuttle.

She traveled on the historic STS-56 mission of the space shuttle Discovery in 1993, contributing to research on Earth’s ozone layer and other scientific experiments.