Hispanic astronaut reached for the stars Published Sept. 28, 2009 By Tech. Sgt. Ruben Ayala Peterson Hispanic-American Committee PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. -- In honor of this year's Hispanic-American festivities, I felt compelled to share some background information about a Hispanic-American who had a profound impact on my Air Force career: National Aeronautic Space Administration engineer, Jose M. Hernandez. The truth is, when I was going through school, there weren't many "historic" Hispanic American referenced in my text books that I could hold up as inspirational. While there are countless Hispanic-American contributions to our society, not many of those contributions are not taught in our schools. I found myself able to relate to Hernandez's background. He was born on Aug. 7, 1962 in French Camp, Calif.. His family originates from La Piedad, Michoacan, Mexico. Hernandez wanted to fly in space ever since he heard Franklin Chang-Diaz, the first Hispanic-American in Space, and was selected for the Astronaut Corps. With that said, I suppose most of us have known of people who have influenced our life decisions and it was Jose Hernandez who inadvertently motivated me. Jose Hernandez is one of four children from a Mexican immigrant family. He grew up hoeing rows of sugar beets in the fields of California and didn't learn to speak English until he was 12 years old. Most of his childhood was spent traveling from Mexico to Southern California and north to Stockton in search of work, picking fruits and vegetables. " Some kids might think it would be fun to travel like that," Hernandez said, "but we had to work. It wasn't a vacation." Hernandez graduated with a bachelor of science degree in electrical engineering from University of the Pacific in 1984. He received a full scholarship to the graduate Electrical & Computer Engineering Program at the University of California at Santa Barbara, and graduated in 1986. Interestingly enough, during his astronaut application process, Hernandez had to meet with a review board. That's where he came face-to-face with his original inspiration: Franklin Chang-Diaz. "It was a strange place to find myself, being evaluated by the person who gave me the motivation to get there in the first place," Hernandez said. "But I found that we actually had common experiences -- a similar upbringing, the same language issues. That built up my confidence. Any barriers that existed, he had already hurdled them." In February 2006, Hernandez 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. Finally, in 2006, Hernanadez received an Honorary Doctorate from the University of the Pacific. "It's not just enough to graduate high school and get your college education when you can reach for the stars as well," He said. In 2001, Hernandez joined the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. He has served as the materials research engineer, branch chief of materials & processes branch, and was assigned to the astronaut office shuttle branch supporting shuttle launch and landing preparations. He is now a mission specialist on the Space Shuttle Discovery on the STS-128 mission, which launched in August 2009. This mission included two spacewalks to remove and replace a materials processing experiment and return an empty ammonia tank assembly. The Jose Hernandez Reaching for the Stars Foundation was formed in December 2005 and is a 501-C (3) Not for Profit organization. The Foundation named after Astronaut Jose Hernandez in hopes that kids will follow his footsteps in reaching their goals no matter the obstacles. It is my hope that one day I might be able to have a positive influence on someone in the same way Jose Hernandez influenced me and Franklin Chang-Diaz influenced him. Please join me and the rest of Peterson's Hispanic-American committee in celebrating this year's observance.