José Moreno Hernández was born on August 7, 1962, in California. He is an American engineer of Mexican descent and a NASA astronaut. Hernandez grew up picking cucumbers and tomatoes in the fields of California's San Joaquin Valley. His parents, Salvador and Julia, had migrated from Mexico to Northern California in the 1950s in search of work. They eventually became U.S. citizens and raised four children, including Jose, the youngest.As a child, Hernandez continued to visit his parents' home state of Michoacan and lived what he has called the typical life of a migrant worker, moving constantly with his family to follow the crops. 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 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.
It was a second-grade teacher who persuaded Hernandez's parents to set down roots near Stockton to give their children a better education and more stable life. Young Jose excelled in math and today traces his dream of becoming an astronaut to the Apollo spacewalks he watched on TV. After earning bachelor's and master's degrees in engineering, Hernandez applied every year for 12 years to enter the space program, finally being chosen in 2004. Hernandez, a father of five, cited two crucial factors: a good education and parents who forced him to study, who checked his homework and stayed involved in his schooling. It is clear that Education is the great equalizer and together with strong family support, persistence and resilience created the recipe for success for Hernandez. "What I always say to Latino parents, is that we shouldn't spend so much time going out with friends drinking beer and watching telenovelas, and should spend more time with our families and kids . . . challenging our kids to pursue dreams that may seem unreachable," he said.
At NASA, Hernandez worked various technical assignments until his selection on July 15, 2008, as a mission specialist of 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 on Twitter. STS-128 mission ended its 14 days journey on September 11, 2009 at Edwards Air Force Base, California at 5:53 pm PST. Hernandez is a full-fledged media star in Mexico and in Mexican-American neighborhoods. Fans followed his every floating, gravity-free move during his two-week journey in space as he Twittered from the shuttle Discovery and gave live interviews to local TV programs.
After the shuttle returned, Hernandez told Spanish television that he thought the U.S. should pass Comprehensive Immigration Reform and allow the millions of undocumented immigrants living here to become legalized so that they can work openly because they are important to the American economy.
Hernandez is currently assigned to the crew of Space Shuttle mission STS-128. Hernandez also served as chief of the Materials and Processes branch of Johnson Space Center. He previously developed equipment for full-field digital mammography at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.
Hernandez is married and has five children, ages 6 to 14. His wife, Adela, runs a Mexican restaurant just outside the Johnson Space Center gates, called Tierra Luna Grill, Spanish for Earth Moon Grill. In September 2009, Hernandez began speaking out to support 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.
Awards and Honors:
NASA Service Awards (2002, 2003), Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory “Outstanding Engineer Award” (2001), Upward Bound National TRIO Achiever Award (2001), U.S. Department of Energy “Outstanding Performance Commendation” (2000), Society of Mexican American Engineers and Scientists (MAES) “Medalla de Oro” recipient for professional and community contributions (1999), Hispanic Engineer National Achievement Award, “Outstanding Technical Contribution” (1995), Graduate Engineering Minority Fellow (GEM) (1985), Eta Kappa Nu Electrical Engineering Honor Society member and awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from University of California-Santa Barbara.
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15 comments:
By now most business are conscious of the federal program E-Verify? It distinguishes US citizens and legal residents from illegal labor. Although not seamless, it has a 99.6 success rate and obviously will overtime become even more constructive to business that believes in the "Rule of Law." Opponents in both the business sector and even on Capitol Hill have released a torrent of abuse against the application. That includes its function is blind to counterfeit documentation and spurious ID and that even legal individuals can be rejected? SO--YOU GO TO THE SOCIAL SECURITY OFFICE TO BE EXONERATED? ONLY ILLEGAL WORKERS WILL SHUN TURNING TO SSA FOR RESOLVING THIS ISSUE.
The open border conspirators are losing, as they did in a federal Maryland court a week previous. As E-Verify are perfected it needs to become a permanent tool in the incomplete arsenal of immigration enforcement. It needs to reach out to every company, big and small, in our country and every individual who works there? E-Verify eventually will expel foreign national from the workplace, without financial appropriations on a large scale. These people will self-deport when they cannot be hired anymore. Businesses facing huge fines and prison will be the ultimate deterrent. In time it will save our ailing schools, health care, home mortgages and government welfare system. Look to NUMBERSUSA for honest an answer, that includes costs to taxpayers for the new blanket AMNESTY. Which Senators and Republicans are anti-US American Worker and their immigration grades?
For an example Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) has a miserable enforcement grade of "C-". He was out to erase E-Verify, under fund the border fence from the beginning of the Democratic administration. Then JUDICIAL WATCH is a public watchdog group Promoting Integrity, Transparency and Accountability in Government, Politics and the Law. They uncover misconduct by government officials and litigation to hold to account politicians and public officials who engage in corrupt activities. Finally CAPSWEB informs the public about the coming nightmare of OVERPOPULATION that is already exhibiting itself in our deteriorating infrastructure. TELL YOUR POLITICIANS YOU HOLD THEM ACCOUNTABLE AT 202-224-3121
SAY NO PRO –ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT LIBERAL SOCIALIST--SANCTUARY CITY--MAYOR GAVIN NEWSOM FOR GOVERNOR OF CALIFORNIA.
Incidentally regarding the 2010 Census? Small states will miss out big time on federal dollars, while mass illegal immigrant states will gain more seats in Congress and too much power and influence? Of course ICE could check the immigration status of those who are counted, even though it's supposedly against US law? Or is counting 20 million plus (?) non-legal residence against the US Constitution?
Sorry Brittainucus. You are WRONG!!
No LOGICAL person in the USA supports Mass Deportation of the 12M here and if you include their children, that is 20M people. That is the size of the state of New York. No Congressperson supports it, and no Logical Patiotic American supports it.
We ALL saw what happened in Postville IA when only 600 were mass deported. Agriprocessors went out of business. Small businesses went out of business and the town of Postville went out of business. Multiply Postville times 10,000 small towns and we will see what would happen to America.
Postville PROVES that all of the bogus stats provided by the ANTI immigration reformers were and ARE Bogus! The 12M here HELP America! They PAY taxes -- sales taxes and income taxes. They support the economy. And all they want to do is WORK!! and HELP America!! That is Clear!!
No LOGICAL American wants MASS DEPORTATION. What we do NEED is Comprehensive Immigration Reform!
Brit said, E-Verify has a 99.6 success.
see
http://www.alternet.org/immigration/102662/expanding_flawed_e-verify_system_will_hurt_lawful_workers/
Michelle Waslin, writing in the New America Media on October 12, 2008, tried to make a case against E-verify. She failed. She suggests that “…the accuracy rate of E-Verify is unacceptable - each error means that a U.S. citizen or legal U.S. worker could be denied employment and a paycheck because the government database contains an error. Furthermore, no matter what the accuracy rate, E-Verify is a problematic program that has harmful consequences for U.S. workers and employers.”
First of all we need to recognize that she is not an unbiased writer since she works for the American Immigration Law Center, a group of bottom-feeders who would sacrifice the national interest for their own private gain. She says the accuracy rate of E-verify is unacceptable but provides no support for that opinion. She didn’t bother to check to see what the typical accuracy rate is for similar systems like Social Security, the U.S. income tax, or any large scale computerized system. She also fails to mention how simple it would be to deal with the minor number of errors that could occur. The system need not require the precipitate firing of any employees or the denial of an employment application if there is any reason to believe that an error has occurred that can be corrected within a relatively short time by the presentation of appropriate documents or by a statement from the Social Security Administration that verify the employee’s social security number as non-duplicative and consistent with the individual’s long time record of employment. This issue is a red herring promoted by someone who has something to gain from a lack of enforcement of immigration laws.
I'm sure Jose is a bright young man. It is indeed unfortunate that he does not have a greater regard for the country that has given him this opportunity. His ethnocentricity has blinced him to what is in the national interest as opposed to the interest of his brethren in the illegal alien community. You'd think that one as bright as he is could think beyond the end of the nose on his face. But then scientists and engineers often are lacking in an understanding of history and the long term effect of errors in immigration policy.
Britannicus you are right.
It is a ridiculous argument to say that no logical patriotic person in the U.S. supports the deportation of some if not most of the illegal aliens in this country. Congressmen may be logical when it comes to how best to achieve re-election whether their methods are legal or illegal and whether what they propose in in the national interest. They are shortsighted in the extreme, focused only on how they can get the necessary donations and votes to get re-elected.
Patriotism is just the opposite of what Dee suggests. It is disloyal to support the interests of illegal aliens over those of one's fellow citizens.
It is a ridiculous argument to say that no logical patriotic person in the U.S. supports the deportation of some if not most of the illegal aliens in this country. Congressmen may be logical when it comes to how best to achieve re-election whether their methods are legal or illegal and whether what they propose in in the national interest. They are shortsighted in the extreme, focused only on how they can get the necessary donations and votes to get re-elected.
Patriotism is just the opposite of what Dee suggests. It is disloyal to support the interests of illegal aliens over those of one's fellow citizens.
Pottsville brought it upon themselves as everyone knows. We should not waste any sympathy on that misguided town. After all they are only thinking about how to line their pockets. If they could do that witout the illegals, they wouldn't give them a second thought.
Dee likes the phrase "mass deportation" so much that she uses it in about every other post. If she were really logical she would know that: (1) mass deportation is feasible but not desirable; (2)what is advocated and fully supportable is a systematic and gradual process to identify those who not entitled to work in the U.S.; (3) an enforcement mechanism that permits these folks to make the best case they can why they should be allowed to stay. If their employers wish to support their contentions in this regard they must prove that they have made good faith efforts to hire American workers by offering a living wage and benefits to no avail. Just saying so is not enough. Now that's logical. Support of illegals is neither logical nor patriotic. It is illogcal and disloyal.
Ultima,
Mass Deportation is NOT MY VIEW. Just go to alipac or numbersusa or fair, or vdare, or MM websites, etc. etc.
They advocate MASS Deportation. Anything else, from their perspective, is Amnesty.
No way you can even get them to consider any form that permits these folks to make the best case they can why they should be allowed to stay. If YOU advocate that, they will call you a Open Borders Lib.
Hernandez is a hero. I think good father's who work hard and are role models for their children are absolutely Heros, not only for their families, but for America! And to be in NASA, risking his life, in support of a better future for America (as all astronauts do) is very heroic!
Amen Dee. As a proud American, and as proud Mexican American, Jose Hernandez makes me very proud. He serves as an astronaut of NASA for the United States. He is highly intelligent and accomplished, and a great role model to younger generations in pursuit of the engineering sciences. Jose makes our community proud, and he makes all Americans proud.
Ultima and Brittanicus, you are the same person, 1 disgusting individual with 2 separate identities. That goes to show the sick psychology of you and your ilk, specifically, your "domestic terrorist white supremacists" modus operandi. Your comments are inappropriate for this article because this article concerns an American astronaut, an American hero and an excellent American role model. With God speed, this fine brilliant man Mr. Hernandez is proof of the American Dream.
That American Dream is colorless and classless, it is a dream of equality, liberty and hard work and achievement. And Jose H. is a classic example of just what I have said! :)
Take your anti-American and anti-Hispanic American vitriol, and stay off this blog. Or you'll be arguing with more educated Mexican Americans, and that's not something you want. ;)
DEE, it's me again :) Watch "Latinos in America" tonight on CNN News Channel. It begins at 6pm Pacific Time and 9pm Eastern Time. It is a 2 day series and will be very interesting. Be well :)
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