Franklin-Chang-Díaz
Costa Rican astronaut Franklin Chang-Diaz sent an emotional message to former president Luis Alberto Monge Álvarez, who died on November 29th.
Chang-Diaz made his first space mission in January, 1986 aboard Columbia space shuttle, when Monge was president of the Republic.
On December 3rd, the astronaut attended the ceremony in which the ashes of the former president were buried in the School of Agriculture of the Humid Tropical Region (EARTH) in Guácimo de Limón.
He asked people to remember Monge for his extraordinary life as a friend, father, brother, wise counselor, distinguished leader.
He stated that Monge did not hesitate to take up arms to protect democracy and freedom but he did not waver either in leaving them aside forever and so Costa Rica could have the peace and prosperity its citizens enjoy today.
He remembered the first time they spoke:
The first time we spoke was January 1986, he was in San José, exercising his duties as president of the republic, I was orbiting the Earth on Columbia space shuttle on my first space mission. During that mission, the United States Government, through NASA and the Mission Control Center in Houston, had coordinated a link between the Presidential House in San José and the spacecraft in orbit. It was an exciting time for me to hear Don Luis Alberto’s voice, with his characteristic humble, but always precise and calm tone. He told me how nervous he felt at that unusual moment (well I was even more nervous). He continued telling how one of his farmer friends had requested him to ask me: what do astronauts eat in space?
He explained that it was an unusual question, but fortunately, the austronaut had a packet of tortillas from breakfast that morning. The package was attached with Velcro to the wall of the ship to prevent tortillas from floating around the cabin and he immediately caught it and explained that tortillas proved to be a very practical food in space to make sandwiches without generating wastes or crumbs:
I took one of them from the package and floated it in front of the camera. It was an image that many Costa Ricans. who witnessed the event on their televisions, remember.
He kept telling that In ’89, after his second mission to space, he visited Don Luis Alberto at his home in Pozos de Santa Ana with the Atlantis crew. During that tour, he told him about this new university that was starting in Guácimo Of Limón, The School of Agriculture of the Humid Tropical Region. President Monge stated that Chang-Diaz should know about it since a great part of its mission was aligned with the comments of the protection of the Earth, which the astronaut pointed out in his presentations. He then managed the contact and, a few days later, he received a letter from chancellor José Zaglul and the rest is history.
He remembered the moments he lived with president Monge, but he mentioned a very special occasion, March 2016, when he visited him:
After 30 years of our space flight, the Columbia crew was finally able to visit Costa Rica. Don Luis Alberto met us at his home and we shared for several hours with him, his daughter Rebecca and his grandchildren. In his characteristic funny ways, he received us saying: I could not die without getting to know you. I have waited for thirty years. This was Don Luis Alberto.
He concluded by mentioning that NASA Administrator General Charles F. Bolden Jr. sent his condolences.