José Hernández | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2009 | |
| Born | José Moreno Hernández (1962-08-07)August 7, 1962 (age 63) French Camp, California, U.S. |
| Education | University of the Pacific(BS) University of California, Santa Barbara(MS) |
| Space career | |
| NASA astronaut | |
Time in space | 13d 20h 54m[1] |
| Selection | NASA Group 19 (2004) |
| Missions | STS-128 |
Mission insignia |  |
| Retirement | January 14, 2011[2] |
José Moreno Hernández (born August 7, 1962) is a Mexican-American engineer[3] and astronaut. He currently serves as aRegent of the University of California.
Hernández was on the Space Shuttle missionSTS-128 in August 2009. He also served as chief of the Materials and Processes branch ofJohnson Space Center. Hernández previously developed equipment for full-field digitalmammography atLawrence Livermore National Laboratory.
In October 2011, Hernández, at the urging of PresidentBarack Obama, ran for Congress as aDemocrat in California's newly redrawn10th congressional district in theU.S. House of Representatives.[4] He won the Democratic nomination but lost the2012 general election to freshman RepresentativeJeff Denham.
Hernández is the subject of the 2023biopicA Million Miles Away in which he is portrayed byMichael Peña.[5][6]
Hernández was born inFrench Camp, California,[7] but callsStockton, California, his hometown. His family is originally fromLa Piedad,Michoacán, Mexico.[8][9] In August 25, 2009 a conversation with the PresidentFelipe Calderón of Mexico, Hernández stated that as a child, he lived half the year in La Piedad and half in the United States.[9] As a child, Hernández worked alongside his family and otherfarmworkers throughout the fields of California, harvesting crops andmoving from one town to another. He attended many schools and didn't learn to speak English until he was 12.[10][11] His first memory of space is about adjusting the television to watch theApollo 17 mission in 1972.[12]
José Hernández participated inUpward Bound during high school, aFederal TRIO program that prepares students for college. He graduated from Franklin High School in Stockton. José Hernández was a first-generation college student who graduated with a bachelor's and master's degree.[13] He earned aBachelor of Science inelectrical engineering from theUniversity of the Pacific in December 1984 and "walked" in May of 1985.[14][15] In 1986, Hernández earned anMaster of Science in electrical and computer engineering from theUniversity of California, Santa Barbara.[16] While in college, he was involved in the Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement(MESA) program, an academic preparation program that provides support to students from educationally disadvantaged backgrounds so they can attain four-year degrees in science, technology, engineering or math (STEM) fields.[17]
Hernández worked from 1990 to 2001 atLawrence Livermore National Laboratory inLivermore, California.[18] While there, Hernández, along with a commercial colleague, developed the first full-fielddigital mammography imaging system.[19] This invention aids in the early detection ofbreast cancer.[19]
In 2001, Hernández joined theJohnson Space Center, in Houston, Texas.
After three years and being turned down eleven times for astronaut training by NASA, Hernández was selected in May 2004.[20][21] In February 2006 he completed Astronaut Candidate Training that included scientific and technical briefings, intensive instruction in Shuttle andInternational Space Station systems, physiological training,T-38flight training, andwater andwilderness survival training. On completing this initial training, Hernández was assigned to the Shuttle Branch to support Kennedy Space Center Operations in support of shuttle launch and landing preparations.
In May 2007, Hernández served as anaquanaut during theNEEMO 12 mission aboard theAquariusunderwater laboratory, living and working underwater for eleven days.[22]
Hernández worked various technical assignments until his selection on July 15, 2008, as amission specialist-flight engineer on theSTS-128 mission, which launched on August 28, 2009. While in orbit, Hernández became the first person to use the Spanish language in space whiletweeting.[23][24][25][26]
The STS-128 mission ended its 13-day journey on September 11, 2009, atEdwards Air Force Base, California, at 5:53 pmPDT.[27]
During the summer of 2009, Hernández told the Stockton Record that he would consider not running against fellow DemocratDennis Cardoza in his Stockton-based district.[28]
Hernández announced atPacific Union College on September 29, 2011, that at the urging of PresidentBarack Obama he was considering a run for theU.S. House of Representatives and would announce his decision on October 11, 2011.[29] He announced his candidacy as promised on October 11 via Twitter[30] by linking to his campaign website.[31] Hernández made his first public campaign appearance on January 14, 2012, at a Democratic Candidate Forum inTracy at the Holiday Inn Express & Suites.
In March 2012, Bell, McAndrews & Hiltachk, a law firm with links to theCalifornia Republican Party, sued inSacramento County Superior Court to block Hernández from describing himself as an "astronaut/scientist/engineer" on the June ballot. The lawsuit stated that "astronaut is not a title one carries for life"; the election code requires the description to be accurate for the previous calendar year.[32] "Allowing a candidate to use the profession of 'astronaut' when he hasn't served in that profession recently is akin to allowing someone to use the title of 'sailor' when they no longer own or operate a ship," said Jennifer Kerns, a California Republican Party spokeswoman. On March 29, aSacramento County Superior Court judge ruled that Hernández could be described as an astronaut on the June 5 primary ballot.[33]
On the campaign trail, Hernández was criticized for having a 2010 personal tax lien imposed by the IRS and paid in 2012. Hernández attacked his opponent, Denham, for his tax liens imposed against his business in 2003 and paid in 2003.[34]
Hernández received the endorsement ofDemocracy for America and was selected as one of theDean Dozen supported in 2012. In June 2012, he received an endorsement from theCalifornia Labor Federation, anAFL-CIO affiliate.[35] On November 6th 2012, Hernández lost to the incumbent, CongressmanJeff Denham, in the General Election for California's new 10th District. Hernández finished in the polls with 46 percent of the vote.[36]
Most of Hernández's campaign funds came from outside his district and many donations came from left-wing political action committees and public employee unions. Speaking of his fundraising Hernández said, "there aren't any special interest groups that are going to come back and say I have to vote for something. I don't believe they're going to influence me in making decisions on what's best for my district." Hernández said he does not think organizations like teachers' unions are special interest groups.[37]
Since his 2012 loss, Hernández has made multiple public statements regarding potential future campaigns. In March 2016, Hernández said, "I ran for Congress in 2012 but I lost in a close race. Now I'm thinking about making a comeback, maybe in 2018."[38]
Hernández filed papers to challenge incumbent Democratic RepresentativeJosh Harder in the9th district in 2022, but ultimately did not run.[39]
Hernández made headlines soon after his return to Earth as a result of comments he made on Mexican television advocating that the United States legalize undocumented immigrants. He does not favor a guest worker program or a secure ID program.[37]
Hernández supported California's Proposition 30, a ballot measure proposed by Gov.Jerry Brown to increase income taxes on those earning more than $250,000 and raise the sales tax rate by a quarter-cent for everyone. Hernández says there needs to be a combination of tax increases and budget cuts to balance the federal budget.[37]
Hernández and his wife Adela have five children. For several years, his wife ran aMexican restaurant just outside theJohnson Space Center gates, called Tierra Luna Grill, which is Spanish for Earth Moon Grill.[40][41] Hernández owns a 20-acre vineyard nearLodi, California, and in 2021 began bottling wine under the Tierra Luna Cellars label.[42][43]
In 2023, a film entitledA Million Miles Away about Hernández's NASA career, starringMichael Peña, was released.[44] The film was based on Hernández’s 2012 autobiography, “Reaching for the Stars: The Inspiring Story of a Migrant Farmworker Turned Astronaut.”[45]
Hernández has earned or been awarded:
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | The Casagrandes | Himself (voice) | Episode: "Rocket Plan" |
| 2023 | A Million Miles Away | Himself (played byMichael Peña) | Cameo role as a Closeout Crew Member[46][47] |
I am a first generation Mexican American
NASA Astronaut Group 18 ← NASA Astronaut Group 19 →NASA Astronaut Group 20 | |||||||
| Pilots | |||||||
| Mission specialists | |||||||
| Educator mission specialists | |||||||
| |||||||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
This article incorporatespublic domain material from websites or documents of theNational Aeronautics and Space Administration.
