posted 09-18-2003 01:02 PM               

I was just wondering if you could help me name all the hispanic people to have flown into space and what country they are from. I know the following:

Rodolfo Neri-Vela - Mexico
Franklin Chang-Diaz - Costa Rica
Carlos Noriega - Peru
Michael Lopez-Alegria - Spain
Pedro Duque - Spain
Arnaldo Tamayo-Mendez - Cuba

Please correct me if some of these aren't considered hispanic and if I am missing a few. Thank you!

posted 09-18-2003 05:12 PM               

-Rodrigo

posted 09-18-2003 06:11 PM               

I think it's more correct to say that Tamayo-Mendez was the first man of African descent to fly in space, because whether he is actually black is debatable. (In fact, so is calling him the first in space of African descent debatable; if you go by many anthropologists, couldn't Gagarin have been considered to be of African descent?)

-chet

posted 09-18-2003 09:25 PM               

-Rodrigo

posted 09-18-2003 09:38 PM               

http://www.nasm.si.edu/galleries/gal114/SpaceRace/sec500/sec534.htm

posted 09-19-2003 09:16 PM               

quote:

---

Originally posted by MrSpace86:
Then what's Guy Bluford's record?

---

posted 09-20-2003 01:36 PM               

quote:

---

Originally posted by MrSpace86:
Is Arnaldo the true first hispanic in space? I really wouldn't count the 'first black man to fly in space' as a record. I always thought that record belonged to Guy Bluford. But anyways, am I correct in listing all the hispanic astronauts?

-Rodrigo

[This message has been edited by MrSpace86 (edited September 18, 2003).]

---

Politically correct, I'd rather use the term "first colored person" in space. Saves us from discussing whether Tamayo's or Bluford's skins is darker. Tamayo definitely flew before Bluford did.

posted 09-20-2003 01:39 PM               

quote:

---

Originally posted by MrSpace86:
Well, I thought being born in the USA makes you American. It's one or the other, but I really don't care. I go by what the official biographies say and where they were born. My original question was if I had listed all of them correctly and if I was missing anyone (obviously I was missing Ellen), but thank you all for your help!

-Rodrigo

---

One of the names you list is somewhat complicated to define: Franklin Chang Díaz, while born in Costa Rica, is ethnically Chinese from the father's side, Latin from his mother's side. So if you follow Christian habits (descendancy from the father), then he's ethnically Chinese; if, however, you follow Jewish descendency rules (from the mother's side), then he is Latin .... complicated, huh?

Also, Chang Díaz, López Alegría and Noriega, etc. - are all US citizens.

Which, by defining "hispanic" on citizenship grounds instead of ethnicity, probably removes the "hispanic" status from them .. ;-)

------------------
Jürgen P Esders
Berlin, Germany http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Astroaddies

posted 09-20-2003 01:56 PM            

There's no reason you ought to know that, of course, and don't ask me why the second one is okay. But there it is.

posted 09-21-2003 01:46 AM               

quote:

---

Originally posted by Rodina:
Just an for future reference, Juergen, "colored person" is not an appropriate term here -- it's generally considered quite offensive. "Person of color" is, however, acceptable.

There's no reason you ought to know that, of course, and don't ask me why the second one is okay. But there it is.
[This message has been edited by Rodina (edited September 20, 2003).]

---

Complicated world, Rodina. Thanks for letting me know.

I have a T-shirt that carries a poem which fits in nicely here (it's in French, so pardon my rough translation):

<<Poem of a black man to his white brother

Dear white brother,

When I was born, I was black,
When I grew up, I was black,
When I go under the sun, I am black,
When I'm afraid, I am black,
When I'm sick, I am black
When I will die, I will be black.

However you, white brother,
When you were born, you were pink,
When you grew up, you were white,
When you go under the sun, you are red,
When you are feeling cold, you are blue,
When you are sick, you are yellow,
When you will die, you will be grey

And after all that, you got the guts to call me "man of color"? >>

;-)

My Chinese trading partners, btw, consider Chang "one of theirs", alongside with Taylor Wang, Leroy Chiao, Ed Lu, etc.

------------------
Jürgen P Esders
Berlin, Germany http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Astroaddies

[This message has been edited by eurospace (edited September 21, 2003).]

posted 09-27-2003 08:17 AM               

"Hispanic" is a term that doesn't apply to Spaniards (Spaniards are European, Hispanics are Latin-American). May be you meant Spanish-speaking astronauts, which has to do with language and not origin or nationality.

As for López Alegría, he was born in Spain but brought up in the United States and he is a U.S. citizen, not a Spanish citizen

Carlos Herranz

posted 09-27-2003 01:01 PM               

quote:

---

Originally posted by pokey:
Ellen Ochoa ????

---

I think we all forgot yet another name: Sidney Gutierrez.