José Hernández (astronaut)

José Hernández
NASA Astronaut
Nationality	American
Status	Retired
Born	August 7, 1962 (1962-08-07) French Camp, California
Other occupation	Engineer
Time in space	13d 20h 54m
Selection	2004 NASA Group
Missions	STS-128
Mission insignia

José Moreno Hernández (born on August 7, 1962), is an American engineer and a former NASA astronaut.

Hernández was born in French Camp, California, but calls Stockton, California, his hometown. His family is from La Piedad, Michoacán, with indigenous Purépecha roots. In an August 25, 2009 conversation with President Felipe Calderón of Mexico, Hernández stated that as a child, he lived half the year in La Piedad and half in the United States. As a child, Hernández worked alongside his family and other farmworkers throughout the fields of California, harvesting crops and moving from one town to another. He attended many schools and didn't learn to speak English until he was 12. Hernández was assigned to the crew of Space Shuttle mission STS-128. He also served as chief of the Materials and Processes branch of Johnson Space Center. Hernández previously developed equipment for full-field digital mammography at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Hernández left NASA in 2011.

Education

José Hernández participated during high school in Upward Bound, a Federal Trio program that prepares students for college. He graduated from Franklin High School in Stockton. 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. He earned a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the University of the Pacific in 1984.

In 1986, Hernández earned an M.S.in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of California at Santa Barbara.

Awards and honors

Hernández has earned or been awarded:

• Graduate Engineering Minority Fellow (GEM) (1985)
• Hispanic Engineer National Achievement Award, “Outstanding Technical Contribution” (1995)
• Society of Mexican American Engineers and Scientists (MAES) “Medalla de Oro” recipient for professional and community contributions (1999)
• U.S. Department of Energy “Outstanding Performance Commendation” (2000)
• NASA Service Awards (2002, 2003)
• Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory “Outstanding Engineer Award” (2001)
• Upward Bound National TRIO Achiever Award (2001)
• Eta Kappa Nu Electrical Engineering Honor Society member and awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from University of California at Santa Barbara (2006).

Engineering career

Hernández worked from 1987 to 2001 at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in Livermore, California. While there, Hernández, along with a commercial colleague, developed the first full-field digital mammography imaging system. This invention aids in the early detection of breast cancer.

NASA career

In 2001, Hernández joined the Johnson Space Center, in Houston, Texas.

Hernández was selected by NASA as an astronaut candidate in May 2004. In February 2006 he completed Astronaut Candidate Training that included scientific and technical briefings, intensive instruction in Shuttle and International Space Station systems, physiological training, T-38 flight training, and water and wilderness 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 an aquanaut during the NEEMO 12 mission aboard the Aquarius underwater laboratory, living and working underwater for eleven days.

Hernández worked various technical assignments until his selection on July 15, 2008, as a mission specialist on the STS-128 mission, which launched on August 28, 2009. While in orbit, Hernandez became the first person to use the Spanish language in space while tweeting.

The STS-128 mission ended its 14 day journey on September 11, 2009 at Edwards Air Force Base, California at 5:53 pm PST.

Congressional campaign

Hernández announced at Pacific Union College on September 29, 2011 that at the urging of President Barack Obama he was considering a run for the U.S. House of Representatives and would announce his decision on October 11, 2011. He announced his candidacy as promised on October 11 via Twitter by linking to his campaign website. Hernandez made his first public campaign appearance on January 14, 2012, at a Democratic Candidate Forum in Tracy at the Holiday Inn Express & Suites.

Personal life

Hernández is married and has five children, ages six to 14. His wife, Adela, runs a Mexican restaurant just outside the Johnson Space Center gates, called Tierra Luna Grill, which is Spanish for Earth Moon Grill.

In September 2009, Hernández advocated support of a legalization path for immigrants. "Having 12 million undocumented people here means there's something wrong with the system, and the system needs to be fixed." Hernández called this his personal opinion, and not a representation of NASA policy.

External links

• Jose Hernández on Twitter
• Jose Hernández personal website
• NASA biography of Hernández
• Spacefacts biography of José Hernández

 This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.