José Hernández (born August 7, 1962) overcame enormous barriers to become one of the fewLatinos to serve as an astronaut for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Raised in a family of field workers, he nevertheless found support for his dreams and achieved his goal of space flight. Hernández occasionally found himself in the midst of controversy because of his outspoken positions regarding Latin culture and immigration to the United States.Fast Facts: José M. HernándezKnown For: Former NASA astronautBorn: August 7, 1962, in French Camp, CaliforniaParents: Julia Hernández,Salvador HernándezEducation:University of the Pacific, University of California, Santa BarbaraAwards and Honors:Hispanic Engineer National Achievement Award (1995), Society of Mexican American Engineers and Scientists "Medalla de Oro" (1999), U.S. Department of Energy"Outstanding Performance Commendation" (2000), NASA Service Awards (2002, 2003), Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory "Outstanding...
