Dooner and The Dude discuss going to the stars with Franklin Chang-Diaz
Many people dream of going to space once in their lives, but Franklin Chang-Diaz has left Earth’s surface seven times in his career as an astronaut.
He answered some questions from a very curious Dooner about what it’s like to have the privilege of leaving the atmosphere.
“Being in space is a total sense of liberation of things that we are accustomed to on the ground,” Chang-Diaz says. “You feel very powerful but at the same time very weak.”
His first trip was in 1987 and through the decades he has watched a planetary transformation.
“Earth has changed, and I was there to witness it,” he said.
Chang-Diaz believes changes need to continue to expand human presence in outer space, and those changes need to be focused on sustainability and democracy.
He says space opportunities “have to be available to the whole planet and not just a select group of club members.”
Chang-Diaz is also the founder and CEO of Ad Astra, a company that literally translates to “to the stars.”
Ad Astra builds its sustainability through use of renewable energy, including solar power and hydrogen cell technology.
Chang-Diaz says space success depends on more than learning what technology works and doesn’t; we must learn to live and survive.
“Humans need to be cared for and made sure they’re healthy, so learning about how space affects our long-term survivability is very important.”