Ashton Zeth interviews former NASA astronaut Jose M. Hernandez alongside his son, Dr. Julio Hernandez, a researcher at Purdue University and former Mars analog astronaut.Jose worked at NASA Johnson Space Center from 2001 to 2011, where he served as an astronaut, legislative analyst, branch chief, and materials research engineer. He was on the STS-128 shuttle mission, during which he oversaw the transfer of thousands of pounds of equipment between the shuttle and the International Space Station and helped with robotics operations.More recently, Jose serves as President and CEO of Tierra Luna Engineering, LLC, a California-based engineering consulting firm that focuses on aerospace engineering, non-destructive evaluation, failure analysis, and general engineering services.Last year, Amazon released “A Million Miles Away”, a biopic film about Jose and his inspiring path as a migrant worker from Mexico to an American astronaut. Starring actor Michael Pena, the movie received high acclaim as a “great family movie with messages of determination and perseverance.”Julio is a Characterization and Research Engineer at the Hypersonics Advanced Manufacturing Technology Center within the Purdue Applied Research Institute. He obtained his Ph.D. in Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering in July 2023, focusing on self-sensing composite materials and additive manufacturing.
In addition, he previously served as a botanist for Crew 245 during his two-week tenure as a Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS) analog astronaut in 2021. 

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