COSTA Rican-born U.S. astronautFranklin Chang went diving near IslaTortuga last Friday, shortly after witnessingthe intentional sinking of his namesake,a 200-meter-long, 100-ton formerCoast Guard boat.“The boat and I were made in thesame year (1950), and the boat and I aregoing to the bottom of the sea, but, in mycase, I hope to come to the surface tokeep serving for many more years,”Chang told the daily La Nación beforediving in the water to watch the boat settleon the ocean floor.But Franklin Chang the boat andFranklin Chang the astronaut have morethan a name in common: the boat toowill go on serving a purpose, now as anartificial reef for fish and coral, a repopulationeffort that was also the fate of theCoast Guard boat named CoronelAlfonso Monge.Chang, who boasts seven space tripsduring his time with the U.S. NationalAeronautics and Space Administration,visited from the United States for theevent. Low visibility prohibited himfrom seeing the boat underwater, butafter 20 years of sharing a name, it wastime to go their separate ways.
[tdb_header_logo align_vert="content-vert-center" media_size_image_height="180" media_size_image_width="544" show_title="eyJwaG9uZSI6Im5vbmUifQ==" show_tagline="eyJwaG9uZSI6Im5vbmUifQ=="]
[tdb_mobile_search inline="yes" align_horiz="content-horiz-left" icon_color="#000000" icon_color_h="#000000" tdc_css="eyJwaG9uZSI6eyJtYXJnaW4tcmlnaHQiOiIyMCIsImRpc3BsYXkiOiIifSwicGhvbmVfbWF4X3dpZHRoIjo3Njd9"][tdb_mobile_menu menu_id="9356" float_right="yes" icon_color="#000000" icon_padding="eyJhbGwiOjIsInBob25lIjoiMS44In0=" tdc_css="eyJwaG9uZSI6eyJtYXJnaW4tcmlnaHQiOiIxMCIsImJhY2tncm91bmQtY29sb3IiOiIjZmZmZmZmIiwiYmFja2dyb3VuZC1pbWFnZSI6Im5vX3ZhbHVlIiwiZGlzcGxheSI6IiJ9LCJwaG9uZV9tYXhfd2lkdGgiOjc2N30="]
[tdb_mobile_horiz_menu text_color="#ffffff" menu_id="10141" f_elem_font_family="394" f_elem_font_size="eyJhbGwiOiIxMyIsInBvcnRyYWl0IjoiMTIifQ==" f_elem_font_line_height="22px" f_elem_font_weight="400" text_color_h="#097777" show_subcat="yes" sub_text_color_h="#097777" f_sub_elem_font_family="394" inline="yes"][tdb_header_user inline="yes" logout_tdicon="td-icon-logout" usr_color="#ffffff" log_color="#ffffff" log_ico_color="#ffffff" float_right="yes" f_usr_font_family="394" f_log_font_family="394" f_usr_font_size="eyJhbGwiOiIxMyIsInBvcnRyYWl0IjoiMTIifQ==" f_log_font_size="eyJhbGwiOiIxMyIsInBvcnRyYWl0IjoiMTIifQ==" f_usr_font_weight="400" f_log_font_weight="400" icon_align="1" show_log="" f_usr_font_line_height="22px" f_log_font_line_height="22px" usr_color_h="#746ee5" log_color_h="#746ee5" log_ico_color_h="#746ee5"]
[tdb_header_logo align_vert="content-vert-center" align_horiz="content-horiz-center" tagline_align_horiz="content-horiz-center" f_text_font_family="394" f_tagline_font_family="185" f_text_font_transform="uppercase" tdc_css="eyJhbGwiOnsibWFyZ2luLWJvdHRvbSI6Ii01IiwiZGlzcGxheSI6IiJ9LCJwb3J0cmFpdCI6eyJtYXJnaW4tYm90dG9tIjoiMCIsImRpc3BsYXkiOiIifSwicG9ydHJhaXRfbWF4X3dpZHRoIjoxMDE4LCJwb3J0cmFpdF9taW5fd2lkdGgiOjc2OH0=" f_text_font_size="eyJhbGwiOiI2MCIsImxhbmRzY2FwZSI6IjQwIiwicG9ydHJhaXQiOiIzNCJ9" f_text_font_style="" f_text_font_weight="700" media_size_image_height="134" media_size_image_width="529" tagline_pos="inline" tagline="U2luY2UlMjAxOTU2" tagline_color="#000000" f_tagline_font_size="16" ttl_tag_space="2" show_title="none" tagline_align_vert="content-vert-top" show_tagline="none" url="/"]
[tdb_header_search inline="yes" toggle_txt_pos="after" form_align="content-horiz-right" results_msg_align="content-horiz-center" image_floated="float_left" image_width="30" image_size="td_324x400" show_cat="none" show_btn="none" show_date="" show_review="none" show_com="none" show_excerpt="none" show_author="none" meta_padding="2px 0 0 15px" art_title="0 0 5px" all_modules_space="20"]
COSTA RICA'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER
[tdb_header_menu sub_tdicon="td-icon-right" mm_align_horiz="content-horiz-center" modules_on_row_regular="20%" modules_on_row_cats="25%" image_size="" modules_category="image" show_excerpt="none" show_com="none" show_date="" show_author="eyJwb3J0cmFpdCI6Im5vbmUiLCJsYW5kc2NhcGUiOiJub25lIn0=" mm_sub_align_horiz="content-horiz-right" mm_elem_align_horiz="content-horiz-right" menu_id="9234" f_elem_font_family="" f_elem_font_weight="eyJhbGwiOiI0MDAiLCJwb3J0cmFpdCI6IjYwMCJ9" f_elem_font_size="eyJhbGwiOiIxNyIsInBvcnRyYWl0IjoiMTIiLCJsYW5kc2NhcGUiOiIxNSJ9" elem_padd="eyJhbGwiOiIwIDI0cHgiLCJsYW5kc2NhcGUiOiIwIDEwcHgiLCJwb3J0cmFpdCI6IjAgMTBweCJ9" mm_align_screen="yes" f_title_font_family="" f_title_font_weight="400" f_ex_font_family="394" f_title_font_size="eyJhbGwiOiIxNyIsImxhbmRzY2FwZSI6IjE0IiwicG9ydHJhaXQiOiIxMiJ9" image_height="55" m_bg="#ffffff" art_title="eyJwb3J0cmFpdCI6IjJweCAwIDZweCAwIiwiYWxsIjoiNnB4IDAifQ==" h_effect="" meta_info_horiz="content-horiz-left" f_sub_elem_font_family="" f_mm_sub_font_family="394" mm_elem_color_a="#4c4084" title_txt_hover="#097777" tds_menu_sub_active1-sub_text_color_h="#097777" f_sub_elem_font_transform="" f_sub_elem_font_size="eyJhbGwiOiIxNyIsInBvcnRyYWl0IjoiMTEifQ==" f_sub_elem_font_weight="" sub_elem_padd="eyJhbGwiOiI0cHggMjhweCIsInBvcnRyYWl0IjoiNHB4IDI2cHgifQ==" mm_subcats_border_color="rgba(255,255,255,0.05)" mm_elem_bg="rgba(0,0,0,0)" mm_elem_bg_a="rgba(0,0,0,0)" mm_elem_border_color_a="rgba(0,0,0,0)" pag_h_bg="#097777" pag_h_border="#4c4084" f_elem_font_line_height="eyJhbGwiOiI1NXB4IiwibGFuZHNjYXBlIjoiNTFweCIsInBvcnRyYWl0IjoiNDJweCJ9" f_title_font_transform="" f_mm_sub_font_size="eyJwb3J0cmFpdCI6IjExIiwibGFuZHNjYXBlIjoiMTIifQ==" mm_elem_padd="eyJwb3J0cmFpdCI6IjAgMjJweCIsImFsbCI6IjJweCAyMnB4In0=" mm_sub_width="eyJsYW5kc2NhcGUiOiIxNjAiLCJwb3J0cmFpdCI6IjEyMCIsImFsbCI6IjI1MCJ9" modules_gap="eyJwb3J0cmFpdCI6IjE1IiwiYWxsIjoiMjAiLCJsYW5kc2NhcGUiOiIyMCJ9" mm_padd="eyJwb3J0cmFpdCI6IjE1IiwiYWxsIjoiMzAiLCJsYW5kc2NhcGUiOiIyMCJ9" mm_sub_padd="eyJwb3J0cmFpdCI6IjE1cHggMCJ9" main_sub_icon_space="eyJwb3J0cmFpdCI6IjcifQ==" tds_menu_sub_active1-sub_elem_bg_color_h="rgba(255,255,255,0.14)" tdc_css="eyJhbGwiOnsiZGlzcGxheSI6IiJ9LCJwb3J0cmFpdCI6eyJtYXJnaW4tdG9wIjoiMSIsImRpc3BsYXkiOiIifSwicG9ydHJhaXRfbWF4X3dpZHRoIjoxMDE4LCJwb3J0cmFpdF9taW5fd2lkdGgiOjc2OH0=" f_title_font_line_height="1.1" tds_menu_sub_active="tds_menu_sub_active1" sub_shadow_shadow_offset_horizontal="0" main_sub_tdicon="td-icon-down" f_cat_font_family="394" f_cat_font_weight="400" f_cat_font_transform="uppercase" f_cat_font_size="10" modules_category_padding="3px 4px 2px" f_meta_font_family="394" f_meta_font_weight="400" f_meta_font_size="eyJhbGwiOiIxMyIsInBvcnRyYWl0IjoiMTIifQ==" mm_shadow_shadow_size="0" mm_shadow_shadow_offset_vertical="0" f_mm_sub_font_weight="" f_mm_sub_font_transform="" mm_elem_color="#000000" sub_shadow_shadow_size="1" sub_align_horiz="content-horiz-left" sub_icon_pos="" sub_icon_space="7" sub_icon_size="10" sub_shadow_shadow_color="rgba(242,242,242,0.14)" f_elem_font_transform="" tds_menu_active="tds_menu_active1" title_txt="#051d2d" mm_width="1502" f_cat_font_line_height="1" sub_padd="18px 0" sub_text_color="#097777" main_sub_icon_size="eyJsYW5kc2NhcGUiOiIxMCIsInBvcnRyYWl0IjoiMTAiLCJhbGwiOiIxMiJ9" sub_icon_align="eyJhbGwiOjIsInBvcnRyYWl0IjoiMyJ9" show_cat="" cat_bg="#097777" cat_txt="#ffffff" mm_subcats_bg="#ffffff" author_txt="#000000" author_txt_hover="#000000" tds_menu_active1-text_color_h="#097777" sub_shadow_shadow_offset_vertical="0" align_horiz="content-horiz-center" f_elem_font_spacing="-0.5" f_cat_font_spacing="1" f_meta_font_line_height="1" f_meta_font_style="italic" date_txt="#000000" sub_rest_top="-18" sub_first_left="-4" show_mega_cats="yes" tds_menu_active1-line_color="" tds_menu_active1-line_height="0" f_mm_sub_font_line_height="1.4" main_sub_icon_align="eyJhbGwiOi0xLCJwb3J0cmFpdCI6IjAifQ==" mm_ajax_preloading="preload" sub_bg_color="#ffffff" sub_elem_bg_color="#ffffff" mm_child_cats="10"]
© 2026 The Tico Times