Hispanic and Latino Pioneers in Aerospace
The Cal Poly Aerospace Engineering Department would like to celebrate the contributions of Hispanic and Latino people in aerospace engineering. We will look back on these pioneers and their accomplishments and look toward what will be achieved in the future.
Photo: Wikipedia
Arnaldo Tamayo Méndez
Arnaldo Tamayo Méndez is the first Cuban citizen, the first Latin American, and the first person of African descent to travel into Earth orbit.
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Photo: NASA on The Commons
Diana Trujillo
Diana Trujillo, a Colombian engineer at JPL, currently leads the engineering team responsible for the robotic arm of the Perseverance rover.
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Photo: NASA/Wikipedia
Ellen Ochoa
Ellen Ochoa is the first Hispanic woman to go to space and the first Hispanic director (and the second female director) of Johnson Space Center.
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Photo: Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum
Félix Rigau Carrera
Félix Rigau Carrera was the first Puerto Rican and first Hispanic fighter pilot in the United States Marines.
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Photo: NASA/Wikipedia
Francisco Rubio
Francisco Rubio is a US Army helicopter pilot, flight surgeon, and NASA astronaut. He is the first Salvadoran American astronaut.
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Photo: Wikipedia
Jorge Chávez
Jorge Chávez, a Peruvian aviator, was the first person to fly across the Alps, but his plane crashed upon landing resulting in is death.
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Photo: NASA
Michael López-Alegría
Michael López-Alegría is a Spanish-American astronaut and test pilot. He holds the second longest all-time EVA duration record.
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Photo: BHCC
Olga E. Custodio
Olga E. Custodio is the first female Hispanic U.S. military pilot and the first female Hispanic commercial airline captain of American Airlines.
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