July 25, 2013
José M. Hernández, former NASA astronaut, recently visited the Department of Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics on June 26 to speak to students about how perseverance can lead to success.
Hernández earned a bachelor's degree from the University of the Pacific and a master's degree from the University of California-Santa Barbara, both in electrical engineering. He worked from 1987 to 2001 at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in Livermore, California, where he helped develop the first digital mammography imaging system. In 2001, Hernández joined the NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas and in 2009 he flew aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery as the flight engineer on mission STS-128.
His journey from being the son of migrant farm workers in California to a NASA astronaut proved to Hernández, that perseverance is key.
“When I was your age, I wanted to be an astronaut, but it’s important for you to know what that process looks like, being an astronaut or working in the aerospace industry,” said Hernández.
Hernández applied three times to the NASA space program over a 12-year period until he was finally selected to become an astronaut candidate in 2004.
“You must have intelligent perseverance. After being rejected from NASA the first time I decided the best thing to do was to study the candidates chosen and figure out what they had that I did not,” said Hernández.
Hernández learned through research that aside from having the required educational background, members of the NASA crew selected the year he was rejected also knew how to fly, scuba dive and speak several languages. Hernández decided not give up on his dream and instead drew a road map that would eventually lead him on a path to becoming an astronaut.
“I learned to fly, I got an advanced certification in scuba diving and I learned to speak Russian because I knew that if I ever became an astronaut I would one day be working with Russians.”
After 12 years, at the age of 41, Hernández was selected as an astronaut candidate with nine others. Hernández earned his wings and became an official NASA astronaut in 2006, and in 2008 he trained 18 months for the STS-128 mission. After training was completed, he served as flight engineer during the 14-day space mission to the International Space Station.
“Don’t give up on your dreams, because with a little hard work anything is possible,” Hernández said. “The sky is not the limit, the stars are, and we proved that already.”
Hernández believes both his perseverance and support from his family are to thank for the success he has achieved in his career. His humble beginnings did not stop him from realizing his dream; instead they pushed him to try harder. He urges students to sit down and recognize how far they are from their goal – once they know what that goal is he suggests they draw a roadmap, never take shortcuts and to always deliver more than what people are looking for.
“The biggest point I’m walking away with today is that perseverance is important, in the aerospace field and in general,” said Jessica Conde Lopez, a recent ASE/EM graduate who attended the seminar. “Hernández’s 12 year struggle is just proof that you have to keep trying because life is never easy.”
