José M. Hernández
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José Moreno Hernández (born August 7, 1962) is a Mexican-American engineer and astronaut. He currently serves as a
Regent of the University of California The Regents of the University of California (also referred to as the Board of Regents to distinguish the board from the corporation it governs of the same name) is the governing board of the University of California (UC), a state university sys ...
. Hernández was on the Space Shuttle mission
STS-128 STS-128 ( ISS assembly flight 17A) was a NASA Space Shuttle mission to the International Space Station (ISS) that launched on August 28, 2009. carried the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module ''Leonardo'' as its primary payload. It was Discovery's 37t ...
in August 2009. He also served as chief of the Materials and Processes branch of
Johnson Space Center The Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center (JSC) is NASA's center for human spaceflight in Houston, Texas (originally named the Manned Spacecraft Center), where human spaceflight training, research, and flight controller, flight control are conducted. ...
. Hernández previously developed equipment for full-field digital
mammography Mammography (also called mastography; DICOM modality: MG) is the process of using low-energy X-rays (usually around 30 kVp) to examine the human breast for diagnosis and screening. The goal of mammography is the early detection of breast cance ...
at
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) is a Federally funded research and development centers, federally funded research and development center in Livermore, California, United States. Originally established in 1952, the laboratory now i ...
. In October 2011, Hernández, at the urging of President
Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...
, ran for Congress as a
Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...
in California's newly redrawn 10th congressional district in the
U.S. House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...
. He won the Democratic nomination but lost the 2012 general election to freshman Representative
Jeff Denham Jeffrey John Denham (born July 29, 1967) is an American politician, United States Air Force veteran, and businessman. A member of the Republican Party, he served as the U.S. representative for from 2013 to 2019. Denham first won election to t ...
. Hernández is the subject of the 2023
biopic A biographical film or biopic () is a film that dramatizes the life of an actual person or group of people. Such films show the life of a historical person and the central character's real name is used. They differ from docudrama films and histo ...
'' A Million Miles Away'' in which he is portrayed by
Michael Peña Michael Peña (; ; born January 13, 1976) is an American actor. He has starred in many films, including '' Crash'' (2004), '' World Trade Center'' (2006), '' Shooter'' (2007), '' Observe and Report'' (2009), '' Tower Heist'' (2011), '' Battle: L ...
.


Early life and education

Hernández was born in
French Camp, California French Camp (from ''Campo de los Franceses'', Spanish language, Spanish for "Field of the Frenchmen") is an Unincorporated area#United States, unincorporated community in San Joaquin County, California, United States. The population was 3,770 as ...
, but calls
Stockton, California Stockton is a city in and the county seat of San Joaquin County, California, San Joaquin County in the Central Valley (California), Central Valley of the U.S. state of California. It is the most populous city in the county, the List of municipal ...
, his hometown. His family is originally from
La Piedad La Piedad is a municipality located at in the north-west of the Mexican state of Michoacán, bordering Jalisco and Guanajuato and being the northernmost municipality in Michoacán. The municipal seat is the city of La Piedad de Cabadas. The o ...
,
Michoacán Michoacán, formally Michoacán de Ocampo, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Michoacán de Ocampo, is one of the 31 states which, together with Mexico City, compose the Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. The stat ...
, Mexico.Sala de Prensa , Presidencia de la República
Presidencia.gob.mx. Retrieved on October 9, 2012.
In an August 25, 2009 conversation with President
Felipe Calderón Felipe de Jesús Calderón Hinojosa (; born 18 August 1962) is a Mexican politician and lawyer who served as the 63rd president of Mexico from 2006 to 2012 and Secretary of Energy during the presidency of Vicente Fox between 2003 and 2004. ...
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
farmworker A farmworker, farmhand or agricultural worker is someone employed for labor in agriculture. In labor law, the term "farmworker" is sometimes used more narrowly, applying only to a hired worker involved in agricultural production, including har ...
s 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. His first memory of space is about adjusting the television to watch the
Apollo 17 Apollo 17 (December 7–19, 1972) was the eleventh and final mission of NASA's Apollo program, the sixth and most recent time humans have set foot on the Moon. Commander Gene Cernan and Lunar Module Pilot Harrison Schmitt walked on the Moon, ...
mission in 1972. José Hernández participated in
Upward Bound Upward Bound is a federally funded educational program within the United States. The program is one of a cluster of programs now referred to as Federal TRIO Programs, TRiO, all of which owe their existence to the federal Economic Opportunity Act ...
during high school, a Federal 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. He earned a B.S. in
electrical engineering Electrical engineering is an engineering discipline concerned with the study, design, and application of equipment, devices, and systems that use electricity, electronics, and electromagnetism. It emerged as an identifiable occupation in the l ...
from the University of the Pacific in December 1984 and "walked" in May of 1985. In 1986, Hernández earned an
M.S. A Master of Science (; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree. In contrast to the Master of Arts degree, the Master of Science degree is typically granted for studies in sciences, engineering and medicine ...
in electrical and computer engineering from the
University of California, Santa Barbara The University of California, Santa Barbara (UC Santa Barbara or UCSB) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Tracing its roots back to 1891 as an ...
. 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.


Engineering career

Hernández worked from 1990 to 2001 at
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) is a Federally funded research and development centers, federally funded research and development center in Livermore, California, United States. Originally established in 1952, the laboratory now i ...
in
Livermore, California Livermore is a city in Alameda County, California. With a 2020 population of 87,955, Livermore is the most populous city in the Tri-Valley, giving its name to the Livermore Valley. It is located on the eastern edge of California's San Francisc ...
. While there, Hernández, along with a commercial colleague, developed the first full-field
digital mammography Mammography (also called mastography; DICOM modality: MG) is the process of using low-energy X-rays (usually around 30 kVp) to examine the human breast for diagnosis and screening. The goal of mammography is the early detection of breast cancer ...
imaging system. This invention aids in the early detection of
breast cancer Breast cancer is a cancer that develops from breast tissue. Signs of breast cancer may include a Breast lump, lump in the breast, a change in breast shape, dimpling of the skin, Milk-rejection sign, milk rejection, fluid coming from the nipp ...
.


NASA career

In 2001, Hernández joined the
Johnson Space Center The Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center (JSC) is NASA's center for human spaceflight in Houston, Texas (originally named the Manned Spacecraft Center), where human spaceflight training, research, and flight controller, flight control are conducted. ...
, in Houston, Texas. After three years and being turned down eleven times for astronaut training by NASA, Hernández was selected 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 The International Space Station (ISS) is a large space station that was Assembly of the International Space Station, assembled and is maintained in low Earth orbit by a collaboration of five space agencies and their contractors: NASA (United ...
systems, physiological training,
T-38 T38 or T-38 may refer to: Aviation * Allison T38, an American turboprop aircraft engine * Northrop T-38 Talon, an American jet trainer aircraft * Slingsby T.38 Grasshopper, a British training glider Other uses * T38 (classification), a disabi ...
flight training Flight training is a course of study used when learning to pilot an aircraft. The overall purpose of primary and intermediate flight training is the acquisition and honing of basic airmanship skills. Flight training can be conducted under a str ...
, and
water Water is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula . It is a transparent, tasteless, odorless, and Color of water, nearly colorless chemical substance. It is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known liv ...
and
wilderness survival Wilderness or wildlands (usually in the plural) are Earth's natural environments that have not been significantly modified by human activity, or any nonurbanized land not under extensive agricultural cultivation. The term has traditionally ...
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 An aquanaut is any person who remains underwater, breathing at the ambient pressure for long enough for the concentration of the inert components of the breathing gas dissolved in the body tissues to reach equilibrium, in a state known as sat ...
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 Mission specialist (MS) is a term for a specific position held by astronauts who are tasked with conducting a range of scientific, medical, or engineering experiments during a spaceflight mission. These specialists were usually assigned to a s ...
on the
STS-128 STS-128 ( ISS assembly flight 17A) was a NASA Space Shuttle mission to the International Space Station (ISS) that launched on August 28, 2009. carried the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module ''Leonardo'' as its primary payload. It was Discovery's 37t ...
mission, which launched on August 28, 2009. While in orbit, Hernández became the first person to use the Spanish language in space while tweeting. The STS-128 mission ended its 13-day journey on September 11, 2009, at
Edwards Air Force Base Edwards Air Force Base (AFB) is a United States Air Force installation in California. Most of the base sits in Kern County, California, Kern County, but its eastern end is in San Bernardino County, California, San Bernardino County and a souther ...
, California, at 5:53 pm PDT.


Political career

During the summer of 2009, Hernández told the Stockton Record that he would consider not running against fellow Democrat Dennis Cardoza in his Stockton-based district. Hernández announced at
Pacific Union College Pacific Union College (PUC) is a private university, private Seventh-day Adventist Church, Seventh-day Adventist liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Angwin, California. It is the only four-year college in Napa Cou ...
on September 29, 2011, that at the urging of President
Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...
he was considering a run for the
U.S. House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...
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. Hernández made his first public campaign appearance on January 14, 2012, at a Democratic Candidate Forum in Tracy at the Holiday Inn Express & Suites. In March 2012, Bell, McAndrews & Hiltachk, a law firm with links to the
California Republican Party The California Republican Party (CAGOP) is the affiliate of the United States Republican Party in the U.S. state of California. The party is based in Sacramento and is led by chair Corrin Rankin. As of October 2023, Republicans represent app ...
, sued in
Sacramento County Superior Court The Superior Court of California, County of Sacramento, alternatively called the Sacramento County Superior Court, is the California Superior Court located in Sacramento with jurisdiction over Sacramento County. Courthouses Gordon D. Schabe ...
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. "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, a
Sacramento County Superior Court The Superior Court of California, County of Sacramento, alternatively called the Sacramento County Superior Court, is the California Superior Court located in Sacramento with jurisdiction over Sacramento County. Courthouses Gordon D. Schabe ...
judge ruled that Hernández could be described as an astronaut on the June 5 primary ballot. 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.


Endorsements

Hernández received the endorsement of Democracy for America and was selected as one of the
Dean Dozen The "Dean Dozen", in American politics, was the collective term for six groups of 12 candidates endorsed by Democracy for America, the political action committee led by former Vermont governor and presidential candidate Howard Dean, in the 2004 ...
supported in 2012. In November 2012, Hernández lost to the incumbent, Congressman
Jeff Denham Jeffrey John Denham (born July 29, 1967) is an American politician, United States Air Force veteran, and businessman. A member of the Republican Party, he served as the U.S. representative for from 2013 to 2019. Denham first won election to t ...
, in the General Election for California's new 10th District. Hernández finished in the polls with 46 percent of the vote.


Fundraising

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.


Speculation

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." Hernández filed papers to challenge incumbent Democratic Representative
Josh Harder Joshua Keck Harder (born August 1, 1986) is an American politician and venture capital investor who has served as the United States House of Representatives, U.S. representative for California's 9th congressional district since 2023, after serv ...
in the 9th district in 2022, but ultimately did not run.


Political views


Immigration

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.


Fiscal policy

Hernández supported California's Proposition 30, a ballot measure proposed by Gov.
Jerry Brown Edmund Gerald Brown Jr. (born April 7, 1938) is an American lawyer, author, and politician who served as the 34th and 39th governor of California from 1975 to 1983 and 2011 to 2019. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic P ...
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.


Personal life

Hernández and his wife Adela have five children. For several years, his wife ran a
Mexican restaurant Mexican cuisine consists of the cuisines and associated traditions of the modern country of Mexico. Its earliest roots lie in Mesoamerican cuisine. Mexican cuisine's ingredients and methods arise from the area's first agricultural communities, ...
just outside the
Johnson Space Center The Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center (JSC) is NASA's center for human spaceflight in Houston, Texas (originally named the Manned Spacecraft Center), where human spaceflight training, research, and flight controller, flight control are conducted. ...
gates, called Tierra Luna Grill, which is Spanish for Earth Moon Grill. Hernández owns a 20-acre vineyard near
Lodi, California Lodi ( ) is a city in San Joaquin County, California, United States, in the center portion of California's Central Valley (California), Central Valley. The population was 66,348 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. History When a gro ...
, and in 2021 began bottling wine under the Tierra Luna Cellars label. In 2023, a film entitled '' A Million Miles Away'' about Hernández's NASA career, starring
Michael Peña Michael Peña (; ; born January 13, 1976) is an American actor. He has starred in many films, including '' Crash'' (2004), '' World Trade Center'' (2006), '' Shooter'' (2007), '' Observe and Report'' (2009), '' Tower Heist'' (2011), '' Battle: L ...
, was released. The film was based on Hernández’s 2012 autobiography, “''Reaching for the Stars: The Inspiring Story of a Migrant Farmworker Turned Astronaut''.”


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: Latinos in Science and Engineering, Inc. (MAES), originally the Mexican American Engineering Society, was founded in 1974. It organizes an annual symposium and career fair. History MAES was founded in Los Angeles in 1974 to increase the n ...
(MAES) "Medalla de Oro" recipient for professional and community contributions (1999) *
U.S. Department of Energy The United States Department of Energy (DOE) is an executive department of the U.S. federal government that oversees U.S. national energy policy and energy production, the research and development of nuclear power, the military's nuclear we ...
"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 Eta Kappa Nu () or IEEE-HKN is the international honor society of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). Joining HKN is by invitation only. Membership is a lifelong designation for individuals who have distinguished them ...
Electrical Engineering
Honor Society In the United States, an honor society is an organization that recognizes individuals who rank above a set standard in various domains such as academics, leadership, and other personal achievements, not all of which are based on ranking systems. ...
member and awarded an honorary
LL.D. A Doctor of Laws (LL.D.) is a doctoral degree in legal studies. The abbreviation LL.D. stands for ''Legum Doctor'', with the double “L” in the abbreviation referring to the early practice in the University of Cambridge to teach both canon law ...
degree from the University of California at Santa Barbara (2006) * José Hernández Middle School, in
San Jose, California San Jose, officially the City of San José ( ; ), is a cultural, commercial, and political center within Silicon Valley and the San Francisco Bay Area. With a city population of 997,368 and a metropolitan area population of 1.95 million, it is ...
, is named after him * University of California, Santa Barbara 2015 Distinguished Alumnus * United States Hispanic Leadership Institute, 2016 National Hispanic Hero Award * University of the Pacific 2019 Medallion of Excellence for outstanding and exceptional service to the University of the Pacific, their profession, and community.


Filmography


See also

* * *


References


External links

*
Jose Hernandez Reaching For The Stars! Foundation
*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hernandez, Jose M. 1962 births American academics of Mexican descent American astronaut-politicians American electrical engineers Aquanauts California Democrats Engineers from California Hispanic and Latino American aviators Hispanic and Latino American scientists Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory staff Living people NASA civilian astronauts People from French Camp, California People from Stockton, California Space Shuttle program astronauts University of California, Santa Barbara alumni University of the Pacific (United States) alumni