Space Explorer: Franklin Chang-Díaz

Franklin Chang-Díaz remembers the day his mother told him that a new star soared in the sky. The year was 1957, and the Soviets had just launched a basketball-size satellite named Sputnik, which triggered the space race. The news captivated the 7-year-old boy, who grew up in Venezuela and Costa Rica. “I was lucky to have a set of parents who paid attention to such events,” he says. “That launch was so powerful for all humanity.”