NAME: Franklin R. Chang-Diaz (Ph.D.) NASA Astronaut BIRTHPLACE AND DATE: Born April 5, 1950, in San Jose, Costa Rica, to the late Mr. Ramon A. Chang-Morales and Mrs. Maria Eugenia Diaz De Chang. His mother resides in Costa Rica. PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Brown hair; brown eyes; 5 feet 8-1/2 inches; 150 pounds. EDUCATION: Graduated from Colegio De La Salle in San Jose, Costa Rica in November 1967, and from Hartford High School in Hartford, Connecticut, in 1969; 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. MARITAL STATUS: Married to the former Peggy Marguerite Doncaster of Alexandria, Louisiana. CHILDREN: Jean E., December 22, 1973; Sonia R., March 31, 1978, and Lidia A., March 1, 1988. RECREATIONAL INTERESTS: He enjoys music, glider planes, soccer, scuba diving, hunting, and hiking. SPECIAL HONORS: Recipient of the University of Connecticut's Outstanding Alumni Award (1980); NASA Space Flight Medal (1986); the Liberty Medal from President Ronald Reagan at the Statue of Liberty Centennial Celebration in New York City (1986); the Medal of Excellence from the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (1987); NASA Exceptional Service Medal (1988); and awarded the Cross of the Venezuelan Air Force by President Jaime Lusinchi during the 68th Anniversary of the Venezuelan Air Force in Caracas, Venezuela (1988). EXPERIENCE: While attending the University of Connecticut, he also worked as a research assistant in the Physics Department and participated in the design and construction of high energy atomic collision experiments. Following graduation in 1973, he entered graduate school at MIT -- becoming heavily involved in the United States' controlled fusion program and doing intensive research in the design and operation of fusion reactors. He obtained his doctorate in the field of applied plasma physics and fusion technology and, in that same year, joined the technical staff of the Charles Stark Draper Laboratory. His 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. More recently, he has been engaged in the design of magnetic divertor systems for energy recovery and impurity control in fusion power plants, as well as new concepts in rocket propulsion based on high temperature plasmas. In October 1983 he was appointed as visiting scientist with the MIT Plasma Fusion Center where he travels periodically to continue his research on advanced plasma rockets. He has presented numerous papers at technical conferences and in scientific journals. In addition to his mainline fields of science and engineering, he worked for 2-1/2 years as a house manager in an experimental community residence for deinstitutionalizing chronic mental patients, and was heavily involved as an instructor/advisor with a rehabilitation program for hispanic drug abusers in Massachusetts. NASA EXPERIENCE: Selected by NASA in May 1980, Dr. Chang-Diaz became an astronaut in August 1981, qualified for assignment as a mission specialist on future Space Shuttle flight crews. 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, he served as on orbit capsule communicator (CAPCOM) during that flight. He is a veteran of two space flights: STS 61-C in 1986, and STS-34 in 1989. From October 1984 to August 1985 he was leader of the astronaut support team at the Kennedy Space Center. 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 over 1,500 hours of flight time, including 1,300 hours in jet aircraft. Dr. Chang-Diaz flew on Shuttle mission STS 61-C which launched from the Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on January 12, 1986. During the 6-day flight of Columbia he participated in the deployment of the SATCOM KU satellite, conducted experiments in astrophysics, and operated the materials processing laboratory MSL-2. STS 61-C made a successful night landing at Edwards Air Force Base, California, on January 18, 1986. With the completion of this flight he logged 146 hours in space. Dr. Chang-Diaz was instrumental in implementing closer ties between the astronaut corps and the scientific community. In January 1987, he started the Astronaut Science Colloquium Program and later helped form the Astronaut Science Support Group, which he directed until January 1989. On his second flight, Dr. Chang-Diaz was a member of the crew of STS-34, aboard Shuttle Orbiter Atlantis. STS-34 launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on October 18, 1989, and landed at Edwards Air Force Base, California, on October 23, 1989. During the mission crew members successfully deployed the Galileo spacecraft on its journey to explore Jupiter, operated the Shuttle Solar Backscatter Ultraviolet Instrument (SSBUV) to map atmospheric ozone, and performed numerous secondary experiments involving radiation measurements, polymer morphology, lightning research, microgravity effects on plants, and a student experiment on ice crystal growth in space. Mission duration was 79 orbits of the earth, and logged him an additional 119 hours and 41 minutes in space. CURRENT ASSIGNMENT: Dr. Chang-Diaz is assigned as a mission specialist on the crew of STS-46. During this seven-day mission the crew will deploy the European Retrieval Carrier (EURECA), an ESA-sponsored free-flying science platform, and will also demonstrate the Tethered Satellite System (TSS), a joint project between NASA and the Italian Space Agency. STS-46 is scheduled for launch in the summer of 1992. APRIL 1992