José M. Hernández
José M. Hernández is a former NASA astronaut, author and speaker who shares his journey from California’s farm fields to space and helps young people find their way into STEM.
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Latest
José’s happenings, collected from public sources, plus his backstory and Starbook, where fans write.
Known for
Prime Video
Piñata Books
Center StreetOverview
- Hometown
- Stockton, California
- Work
- Author, speaker, engineer and former NASA astronaut
- Spaceflight
- Discovery, STS-128, 2009
- Memoir
- Reaching for the Stars, 2012
Mini bio
How it started.
José grew up in a migrant farmworker family, traveling between Mexico and California with the harvest. His second-grade teacher persuaded his parents to settle in Stockton, giving his education a steadier footing. Watching Apollo 17 on television helped spark his dream of becoming an astronaut.
Engineering a path.
He earned an electrical engineering degree at the University of the Pacific in 1984 and a master’s in electrical and computer engineering at UC Santa Barbara in 1986. At Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, he helped develop a full-field digital mammography imaging system. He joined NASA’s Johnson Space Center in 2001.
The twelfth application.
NASA rejected his astronaut application eleven times before selecting him in 2004. He completed astronaut candidate training in 2006 and flew aboard Discovery on STS-128 in 2009, helping deliver supplies and equipment to the International Space Station. He left NASA in January 2011.
Sharing the journey.
His 2012 memoir Reaching for the Stars became the basis for the 2023 film A Million Miles Away. He also writes for children, speaks at schools and universities, and leads Tierra Luna Engineering. His Reaching for the Stars Foundation supports young people’s interest in STEM through education and community programs.
Creditschronological, newest first
Books
- 2019The Boy Who Touched the Stars / El niño que alcanzó las estrellasAuthor; illustrated by Steven James Petruccio
- 2012Reaching for the StarsAuthor, with Monica Rojas Rubin
Film
- 2023A Million Miles AwaySubject; based on his memoir
Spaceflight
- 2009STS-128 DiscoveryMission specialist
Awards
Quotes
It’s okay to dream big. So long as you’re willing to put the work in converting that dream to reality.José Hernández, Illinois Student Newsroom / IPM
He spoke with the University of Illinois community on October 2, 2025, about the effort behind his path to space.
Trivia
- He did not learn English until he was 12.
- Franklin Chang-Díaz, one of his inspirations, later sat on his astronaut selection review board.
- While improving his astronaut applications, he added piloting and scuba diving to his skills.
Find José
Follow José’s talks, books and work to help the next generation reach for the stars.
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