José Hernández
Wednesday, October 30 | 7:30 p.m.
Laxson Auditorium
Buy Tickets: $22 | Youth age 17 and under $17 | Chico State Student FREE
José Hernández's inspring life story takes him on a journey from a migrant farmworker to a NASA astronaut. Hernández wanted to fly in space ever since he heard that the first Hispanic-American had been chosen to travel into space. "I was hoeing a row of sugar beets in a field near Stockton, Calif., and I heard on my transistor radio that Franklin Chang-Diaz had been selected for the Astronaut Corps," says Hernández, who was a senior in high school at the time. "I was already interested in science and engineering," Hernández remembers, "but that was the moment I said, 'I want to fly in space.' And that's something I've been striving for each day since then." And now that hard work has paid off. He was selected to begin training as a mission specialist as part of the 2004 astronaut candidate class.
He served as flight engineer aboard Space Shuttle Discovery on mission STS-128 to the International Space Station and was formerly a Legislative Analyst at NASA Headquarters.
Hernández is the topic of Amazon Prime's A Million Miles Away, a biopic about his path from a farm worker to becoming an engineer and an astronaut. He has received two NASA Service Awards and seven honorary degrees, among other honors.
Hernández is the founder of Tierra Luna Engineering, a consulting firm dedicated to providing an innovative approach on aerospace, advanced technologies, and education outreach while also providing turnkey solutions to increasing manufacturing capabilities in a sustainable and cost effective manner.
Artist Website