WIKIARCHIVES.SPACE

STS-75 Payload Commander Franklin R. Chang-Diaz (center) chats with Johnson Space Center officials Olan Bertrand (left) and David Leestma (right) during suitup activities in the Operations and Checkout Building. Born in Costa Rica, Chang-Diaz joined NASA in 1980. He has already completed four spaceflights and logged more than 656 hours on-orbit. He and six fellow crew members will depart shortly for Launch Pad 39B, where the Space Shuttle Columbia awaits liftoff during a two-and-a-half-hour launch window opening at 3:18 p.m. EST.