As NASA's Artemis II launch captured the nation on Wednesday, a Stockton astronaut with his own journey to space used the moment to inspire the next generation.
José Hernández, whose story was captured in an Amazon Prime film "Million Miles Away," was near Miracle Mile in Stockton on Wednesday, encouraging people of all ages to chase their dreams, just as he once did.
Artemis II launched from Kennedy Space Center, the same site where Hernández lifted off 17 years ago aboard space shuttle Discovery, completing his journey from farmworker to astronaut.
"It just brought back great memories of when I blasted off to the International Space Station on STS-128 mission aboard space shuttle Discovery," Hernández said. "This is a new era, a brand new vehicle that's gonna allow us to go to the moon and beyond. "
Hours after the launch, Hernández spoke to students at San Joaquin Delta College through its MESA program, which supports first-generation and low-income students pursuing STEM careers.
"I knew I had to go and finish school," Hernández said, describing how his dream of becoming an astronaut pushed him through high school, college and graduate school, eventually landing a job at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. "If I never reached my goal… it was not a bad consolation prize."
Hernández shared his father's recipe for success after sharing with him his dreams of becoming an astronaut:
Define your goalRecognize how far you are from itCreate a roadmap to get thereEducation is keyDevelop a strong work ethicPersevere"(Faith) played a lot… that's what gave me inner strength," Hernández said.
For local cadets with the U.S. Air Force Auxiliary Civil Air Patrol, his story left a lasting impression.
"I searched it up and he got rejected from NASA multiple times… 11 or 12 times," said Nicholas Haddad, a seventh-grade cadet. "That shows that he really had the persistence to continue."
Stephanie Kuang, a cadet chief master sergeant and high school senior, led her cadets in front of the auditorium before the event began, excited to hear Hernandez's story.
"I think the idea of being an astronaut is always really cool, because as a little kid, you think, 'Oh, the world's so much bigger than us on Earth.' And that was something I used to want to do…I'm excited to learn and hear what he has to say today," Kuang saud.
Omar Izaguirre, a sophomore cadet, is pursuing a mechanical engineering career and wanted to hear more about Hernández being an electrical engineer.
"Most of us have seen the movie 'A Million Miles Away'...I really think it's inspiring," Izaguirre said. "I'm here also to learn just more about his side of things, not just from the film perspective."
Hernández recounted his story with the audience, including watching the Apollo 17 launch from his Stockton home on Vine and E streets.
"I always looked at the glass half full," Hernández said. "And I always, as a 10-year-old, I wanted to be an astronaut after seeing the very last man walk on the moon: Gene Cernan."
As NASA looks ahead to returning astronauts to the moon and eventually reaching Mars, Hernández said he's excited about what comes next and hopes his story continues to inspire others to reach higher.
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