José M. Hernández’s life story reads like a Hollywood script, a powerful narrative ripe for the big screen. Imagine a movie, a “Mexican Astronaut Movie,” that captures the incredible journey of a boy who toiled in the fields, only to reach for the stars – literally. This is the true story of José, a testament to perseverance, dream chasing, and the extraordinary heights one can achieve with dedication.
Born into a migrant Mexican family, José’s early years were defined by hard work and constant movement. He didn’t learn English until he was twelve, spending his childhood traversing the “California circuit.” Each March marked a return from Mexico to California’s southern San Joaquin Valley, followed by months of labor picking strawberries, cucumbers, cherries, tomatoes, and grapes as the family moved north towards Stockton. Weekends were not for play but for more work in the fields. His neighborhoods were tough, often shadowed by drugs and violence. Yet, amidst these challenges, José’s parents instilled in him the paramount importance of education, nurturing his dreams of space.
Driven by this dream, José excelled academically, earning undergraduate and graduate degrees in Electrical Engineering. He embarked on a successful career at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, contributing to the development of X-ray lasers and the first full-field digital mammography system for early breast cancer detection. His work even took him to Russia in the realm of nuclear non-proliferation. Then, in 2000, José’s trajectory shifted dramatically as he joined NASA, realizing a lifelong aspiration. In 2004, he was selected into the 19th class of U.S. Astronauts.
The climax of this “mexican astronaut movie” would undoubtedly be August 28, 2009. Assigned to the STS-128 Space Shuttle Discovery mission as a flight engineer, José blasted off into space. His 14-day mission to the International Space Station was the culmination of years of unwavering dedication, a moment where the boy from the fields became an astronaut among the stars.
After twelve years at NASA, José returned to his roots, choosing to raise his family near his parents in Lodi. This homecoming allowed him to pursue another dream: winemaking. Tierra Luna Cellars was born from this passion. Today, alongside his father, Salvador, José cultivates a vineyard and produces his own wines, inspired by the constellations he witnessed from space.
José M. Hernández’s story is more than just an astronaut’s tale; it’s a powerful human story. It’s a story that deserves to be told, perhaps even as a “mexican astronaut movie,” to inspire future generations to reach for their own stars, no matter where they come from. His journey from migrant fields to space, and then to entrepreneurship, embodies the American dream and the boundless potential within us all.
