Jose Hernández (astronaut)

Infobox Astronaut
name = Jose Hernández


type = NASA Astronaut
status = Active
nationality = American
date_birth = birth date and age|1962|8|7
date_death =
place_birth =
place_death =
occupation = Engineer
rank =
selection = 2004 NASA Group
time =
mission =
insignia = |

José Moreno Hernández was born on August 7, 1962 in French Camp, California, but calls Stockton, California as his hometown. He is an American engineer of Mexican descent and a NASA astronaut. He 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.

Education

B.S., Electrical Engineering, University of the Pacific, 1984.M.S., Electrical & Computer Engineering, University of California-Santa Barbara, 1986.

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 a honorary Doctor of Laws degree from University of California-Santa Barbara.

Engineering career

1987-2001 were spent at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California.

NASA career

In 2001, Hernández joined the Johnson Space Center, in Houston, Texas.

Selected by NASA in May 2004. In February 2006 he completed Astronaut Candidate Training that included scientific and technical briefings, intensive instruction in Shuttle and International Space Station systems, physiological training, T-38 flight training, and water and wilderness survival training. On completing this initial training, Hernández was assigned to the Shuttle Branch to support Kennedy Space Center Operations in support of Shuttle launch and landing preparations. He worked various technical assignments until his selection on July 15, 2008 as a mission specialist of the STS-128 mission set to launch July 30, 2009. He will start training for this mission.

External links

* [http://www.astrojh.com Jose Hernández personal website]
* [http://www11.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/hernandez-jm.html NASA biography of Hernández]
* [http://www.spacefacts.de/bios/astronauts/english/hernandez_jose.htm Spacefacts biography of Jose Hernández]