From Stockton, California to the Stars Above: The Story of José Hernández
No matter the obstacle on his path, José Hernández's "out-of-this-world" dream turned him into an inspiration for his San Joaquin County community and the nation.
One walk through the Children's Museum of Stockton, a specific spot within it is bound to catch your eye: the Destination: Space exhibit.
This spot of the museum is filled with amazing details and images from NASA's space explorations—and a central figure in San Joaquin County's connection to space. That figure is one of Stockton's own: astronaut José Hernández.
In 2001, José joined the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas and after 3 years, was selected for the NASA astronaut training program. After years of training, which included flight training, water & wilderness survival, shuttle launch & landing preparations, and spending days in an underwater laboratory, José was finally selected as a mission specialist on the STS-128 mission—a 14-day journey in orbit studying the physics & chemistry of microgravity. During this mission, José became the first person to use the Spanish language in space, which he did while tweeting.
BONUS: The film A Million Miles Away—the biopic on José's life—is now streaming on Amazon's Prime Video! In the film, José is portrayed by Academy Award nominee Michael Peña. Check out the trailer below!
Looking for recommendations throughout Stockton? You can message us 7 days a week for assistance on shopping, dining, and things to do in Stockton.
Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, & TikTok - and be sure to use #VisitStockton during your visit!
Related Blogs
![](https://stockton.imgix.net/images/archive/navidad-en-mexico.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=192&q=80&w=320&s=980c4abae5f45fd18642f956d0fdc5a2 320w, https://stockton.imgix.net/images/archive/navidad-en-mexico.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=324&q=80&w=540&s=5772b0ccc2046c8399c94d5372c02f34 540w, https://stockton.imgix.net/images/archive/navidad-en-mexico.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=461&q=80&w=768&s=886e8d1fb26cfdbd62fdb026303f6447 768w, https://stockton.imgix.net/images/archive/navidad-en-mexico.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=480&q=80&w=800&s=ca2a34ce8ce0a283ec04bc2d7f8b4838 800w)
![](https://stockton.imgix.net/images/archive/Chung-Wah-birds-eye-view.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=192&q=80&w=320&s=478dfca5a82787b14c4338d0ca1576b6 320w, https://stockton.imgix.net/images/archive/Chung-Wah-birds-eye-view.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=324&q=80&w=540&s=c106bdb0628aec1ed2af56abe32ecbfc 540w, https://stockton.imgix.net/images/archive/Chung-Wah-birds-eye-view.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=461&q=80&w=768&s=61be18a0f56203ac00abd3d7bab9a59c 768w, https://stockton.imgix.net/images/archive/Chung-Wah-birds-eye-view.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=614&q=80&w=1024&s=cd014d1b50de91f9407ef24bc05b97af 1024w, https://stockton.imgix.net/images/archive/Chung-Wah-birds-eye-view.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=720&q=80&w=1200&s=9c8a682416fcbe0c3326d59ad35d4eca 1200w, https://stockton.imgix.net/images/archive/Chung-Wah-birds-eye-view.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=864&q=80&w=1440&s=34ceba28e87f1857ee995c46dd056d3a 1440w, https://stockton.imgix.net/images/archive/Chung-Wah-birds-eye-view.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=992&q=80&w=1654&s=61eb312443d5726fd6c553a7ab2a3db6 1654w)
![](https://stockton.imgix.net/images/archive/Tillie-1973.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=192&q=80&w=320&s=33555a6ae88a8a9793c32ecea27c1515 320w, https://stockton.imgix.net/images/archive/Tillie-1973.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=324&q=80&w=540&s=357b820faa51b9d5a3da7b49cbc1f6e5 540w, https://stockton.imgix.net/images/archive/Tillie-1973.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=461&q=80&w=768&s=cabded1858d54f6388189489d8ea1728 768w, https://stockton.imgix.net/images/archive/Tillie-1973.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=614&q=80&w=1024&s=046c0c8bdb8781b0a8c49b983a044f0d 1024w, https://stockton.imgix.net/images/archive/Tillie-1973.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=720&q=80&w=1200&s=ef0b9a9c00450a1415109863effb072f 1200w, https://stockton.imgix.net/images/archive/Tillie-1973.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=864&q=80&w=1440&s=05e8a51f8b69be36aef11c6e5cb6b67c 1440w, https://stockton.imgix.net/images/archive/Tillie-1973.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1152&q=80&w=1920&s=35d496f88072bd8d02f303016ee93d19 1920w)