Astronaut Jose Hernandez: A child farmworker’s dreams led to space
August 20, 2010
By Peggy Kelly
Santa Paula News
As a child, the son of poor farmworkers would watch Apollo moonwalks on the family’s grainy black and white television with its rabbit ears antenna; then he would race outside and look at the moon. Jose Hernandez probably wore a path between that TV set and his yard as he went back and forth, fascinated with space and the wonder of strolling on the moon.
His dream was solidified later when then high school student Hernandez was rowing beets in a Stockton field, listening to a report on his transistor radio about the first Latino astronaut. Now himself a NASA astronaut, Hernandez told this and other stories of his family’s and his own determination to visit space, a tale of success he said is within the grasp of all.
Hernandez made his remarks at Sunday’s dedication of Santa Paula’s Farmworkers Monument, the first in the nation honoring laborers and others who work in the agricultural industry.
The effort was begun by community activist Albino Pineda, a former farmworker now comfortably retired after a career as a heavy equipment operator, who has been deeply involved in both church and education. His cohort was monument coordinator Councilman Dr. Gabino Aguirre, who introduced Hernandez at Sunday’s monument dedication at the corner of East Santa Barbara and 9th streets.
Aguirre told the crowd when thoughts turned to a featured speaker for the event, the question among organizers, and “my question to you, is how far can a farmworker go?” And this made Hernandez the perfect choice.
Wearing his NASA uniform, Hernandez said, “Today marks a historic moment for Santa Paula and each and every one of you,” as well as for himself, a former farmworker. “I understand this is the very first” such monument, and “we are very proud that Santa Paula is making history” with the work, a tribute Hernandez said he hopes is replicated at other locations.
The youngest of four children, Hernandez talked of his family’s routine as migrant farmworkers, always on the move to follow the crops, with longer stay-overs in Stockton. Hernandez’s parents believed in and promoted education, although he admitted he hated summer because he would work in the fields seven days a week. His family did not pull the children out of school to work, a stance other farmworkers didn’t always understand.
Hernandez’s fascination with space began early: “I remember the first time I wanted to be an astronaut... I was just a small kid” who would get up before sunrise to go to the fields and work. “I remember there was no light pollution,” and staring at the sky Hernandez said he found the “stars so beautiful, I thought I would like to be up there.”
Hernandez knew he was going to become an engineer when he wrapped the television rabbit ears antenna in tinfoil to better the reception of moonwalks, and as he looked at the moon he would think, “That’s what I want to do.” It was a dream he shared with his parents: “Instead of quashing my dreams they encouraged me,” urging him to study and work hard to attain his goal.
“Any dream is possible,” Hernandez said, even when you come home from the fields and your jeans stand by themselves due to the dirt and sweat accumulated during the day. His father would ask Hernandez at the end of their workday how he felt; when the boy said dirty, tired and sweaty his father would reply that would be Hernandez’s future unless he obtained an education.
Hernandez said his own family experience demonstrated how parents and children must form a partnership for success. And an interested teacher also helped: “My second grade teacher, Mrs. Young read the riot act to my parents,” noting that all the Hernandez children were extremely bright and must attend college, even if the family had to sacrifice even more than usual.
In high school Hernandez participated in Upward Bound, a Federal Trio program that prepares students for college. He earned a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the University of the Pacific in 1984, and two years later he earned an M.S. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from UCSB.
Hernandez worked at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, and while there he co-developed the first full-field digital mammography imaging system, an invention that aids in the early detection of breast cancer. With first Latino Astronaut Franklin Chang-Diaz as a role model, Hernandez pursued his dream; and in 2001, after numerous tries, Hernandez was accepted by the Johnson Space Center.
It was a goal he said he almost abandoned until his wife Adela told him, “If you eliminate yourself” from the fierce competition, “you’ll always think ‘what if?’” Three years later he was selected as an astronaut candidate: “I realized my dream” of visiting space as a crewmember on the space shuttle Discovery, which blasted off in August 2009.
The shuttle traveled 17,500 mph and Hernandez said it would it would circle the earth every 90 minutes, but “My first realization was how fragile our environment is,” as he gazed at the sunlight and saw the dissipating layer of the protective atmosphere. “When I first unstrapped myself and floated in space, the first thing I did was look out the window,” and Hernandez said he saw Earth and North America below him.
“I could distinguish” the area, but “not tell where the countries ended and began... when I looked down I realized we all are one.” Borders are “manmade,” and Hernandez said politicians should visit space, as “there would be a lot less conflict, a lot less wars.”
Hernandez has not stopped dreaming, dreams this time centered on other children. “The key to success is not the individual, but those who go out of their way to create opportunity for kids... we should not be afraid to turn our dreams into tangible goals,” as did his parents and teacher.
Dreams can become reality, and Hernandez noted the dreams of peace of leaders such as Gandhi and Dr. Martin Luther King. “They had dreams for a better future and made it a reality... when you see this monument remember that small and persistent efforts” resulted in the work paying tribute to those that work and dream.
Hernandez decried the new law in Arizona that targets Latinos was crafted in the belief “if you do not allow them to make a decent living, they will leave. We have come too far down the road to turn back,” and although many think about past labor leaders who would boycott grapes and lettuce, it was not about the produce, but “always, always about people.”
The recipient of many awards and recognitions, Hernandez and Adela have five children. He founded the Jose M. Hernandez Reaching for the Stars Foundation to inspire youth to find passion in science, technology, engineering and math, establish a family commitment to education, and develop support networks through community engagement.
