Astronaut and U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame Class of 2012 inductee Franklin Chang Diaz speaks during the induction ceremony.

At NASA’s Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida, space shuttle astronaut and U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame Class of 2012 inductee Franklin Chang Diaz, at the podium, speaks during the induction ceremony. Shuttle astronauts Kevin Chilton and Charlie Precourt also were inducted into the Hall of Fame.

The year’s inductees were selected by a committee of current Hall of Fame astronauts, former NASA officials, historians and journalists. The selection process is administered by the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann