Who is the first Puerto Rican to have been named a NASA astronaut?

In May 2004 Acaba became the first person of Puerto Rican heritage to be named as a NASA astronaut candidate, when he was selected as a member of NASA Astronaut Training Group 19. He completed his training on February 10, 2006 and was assigned to STS-119, which flew from March 15 to March 28, 2009 to deliver the final set of solar arrays to the International Space Station.

More Info: en.wikipedia.org

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13 Comments

George Oliver Prince

Just shows you it doesn't matter where you come from as long as you've got the right stuff

Helga U. Williams

Short narrative, but excellent options. I really don't see what is so extraordinary,. Puerto Ricans aren't any different than anyone else, just as smart as the next person with good abilities.

dmarkc

Acaba was born in California. His parents were Puerto Rican.

skrueger

Ron Harvey, Chang Diaz was the first Hispanic astronaut, but he did not have Puerto Rican heritage. Acaba was the first to have Puerto Rican ancestry. Therefore, the answer is correct.