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Former NASA astronaut inspires hundreds of students in Carson City

Former NASA astronaut visited Carson High School on Oct. 3, 2024.
Maria Palma
/
KUNR Public Radio
Former NASA astronaut visited Carson High School on Oct. 3, 2024.

Astronaut José Hernández touched down at Carson High School on Thursday to inspire hundreds of students.

The former NASA astronaut captivated an audience of over 200 students as he shared his journey from the fields of California to the stars.

Hernández flew on the Space Shuttle Discovery in 2009 as a mission specialist.

“I am always happy to talk to kids and inspire them, especially in underserved communities because I think it's very important that kids see role models, people that look like them speak like them come from perhaps similar socio economic situations and it empowers them,” Hernández said.

Raised in a family of Mexican migrant farmworkers, Hernández grew up picking crops and moving from one town to the next. But that didn’t stop him from setting his sights on becoming an astronaut, a dream he had since watching the Apollo 17 moon landing in 1972.

“I was 10 years old, I was lucky enough to see the very last Apollo mission Apollo 17 and I saw on our black and white TV, Gene Cernan walking on the moon. It was a cold December evening. I would go outside and see him. I see the moon almost full, come back, come back inside, see and hear Gene Cernan. And I said that's what I want to do,”he said.

Hernández was rejected by NASA 11 times before they finally said yes.

Maribel Herrera and her 7-year-old son Karol said Hernández is an inspiration for young Latinos.

“We had seen Hernández in the movie “A Million Miles Away” and didn't want to miss the opportunity to meet him in person,” Herrera said in Spanish.

Karol and the hundreds of other students listened as Hernández explained the training process that astronauts undergo, which includes hours of physical preparation and simulations.

Hernández offered a few stories from space, like what it felt like to look down at Earth from 217 miles above its surface.

Students then had the opportunity to ask Hernández questions in English and Spanish.

His visit was part of an initiative to encourage students to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

Maria joined KUNR Public Radio in December 2022 as a staff reporter.