Costa Rica's Franklin Chang pushes space agenda in Washington

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http://www.ticotimes.net/2014/12/10/costa-ricas-franklin-chang-pushes-space-agenda-in-washington

Costa Rica’s Franklin Chang pushes space agenda in Washington
Larry Luxner
December 10

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Costa Rican astronaut-turned-businessman Franklin Chang Díaz warns that NASA and the United States may get left behind as European and Asian rivals pursue their own well-funded space programs with excitement and imagination.

Chang, who holds the world record for number of times in space (seven) and number of space walks (three), visited Washington last week to promote his own venture, Ad Astra Rocket Co. The Houston-based company, with subsidiaries in Costa Rica and Germany, is developing plasma technology for space travel, as well as renewable energy sources Chang says are crucial for helping the world end its addiction to fossil fuels.

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“Most people don’t even know that astronauts have been living in space since 1999 aboard the ISS,” he complained. “But the excitement of exploration has to give way to the real business at hand: the expansion of humans into space. I’m not just talking about space tourism, but mining, research, resettling, everything. We don’t want to wait until the planet becomes uninhabitable. By the time that happens, we won’t be able to do anything. My point is, humanity has to move out into space in a big way – and not just as a select group of astronauts or cosmonauts.”

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But winning a contract with NASA is like “pulling teeth,” said the spaceman.

“My own agency that I love dearly has been a difficult nut to crack. For our little company, getting into space is essential. If we don’t do that, we’re dead,” Chang said, explaining the reason for his frequent trips to Washington.

“The Chinese are moving forward to develop this technology as well. They’re smart people and they’ve read all our papers, which are public documents. They have a space station and they’ve asked me if they can test our rockets. If the ISS isn’t available, the only other remaining option is the Chinese. We can’t do anything sitting in the lab. Investors will just walk away, and this technology will disappear from the United States.”

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1. "If the ISS isn’t available, the only other remaining option is the Chinese."

“The Chinese are moving forward to develop this technology as well. They’re smart people and they’ve read all our papers, which are public documents. They have a space station and they’ve asked me if they can test our rockets. If the ISS isn’t available, the only other remaining option is the Chinese. We can’t do anything sitting in the lab. Investors will just walk away, and this technology will disappear from the United States.”