CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Joe Acaba, the first astronaut of Puerto Rican heritage, has been affected by two hurricanes -- even aboard the orbiting International Space Station.
In an interview from the space station on Wednesday, Acaba offered words of comfort to Puerto Ricans enduring the wrath of Hurricane Maria. His parents were born in Hatillo, Puerto Rico, and he has several family members there.
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Just a few weeks ago, Acaba's home in Houston was flooded by Hurricane Harvey. Acaba was in Russia then, getting ready for his launch. Friends and colleagues came to his rescue, yanking out walls and drying out his house.
Acaba, a former school teacher, arrived at the space station a week ago, along with fellow NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei and a Russian cosmonaut.