NASA rejected it 11 times... the story of a farmer who became an astronaut at the age of 41
After being rejected 11 times by NASA, before he became an astronaut at the age of 41, the life story of Mexican American Jose Hernandez was turned into an inspiring film that details the story of the first farmer to migrate to space.
The movie “A Million Miles Away,” which opened on September 15, deals with Hernandez’s life, from the fields of California to the International Space Station.
The name of the American engineer entered history, after he boarded the space shuttle “Discovery” in 2009, on the first mission carrying two astronauts of Latino origin, according to the American network “CNN”.
Diving into the unknown
The film also quoted Hernandez saying, in the press conference while preparing to go on the mission: “Who better than a migrant farm worker who can leave the planet and dive into the unknown?”
The story of the astronaut, who was born in California to an immigrant family from Mexico, made headlines in 2004, when NASA chose him as an astronaut.
Hernandez grew up in an immigrant family of farmers, moving according to the harvest season between California and Mexico, and his parents hail from the state of Michoacan in western Mexico.
In previous statements to CNN in 2016, Hernandez said: “Others were looking forward to summer vacation, but I hated it. Summer vacation for me meant working seven days a week on farms.”
While his father, Salvador Hernandez, described in previous statements that he was He meets his children after a hard day's work on the farms, and tells them: "If you don't study hard, you will work all your life on the farms. This will be your future."
Space dream
Hernandez's dream of traveling to space began after he watched the Apollo 17 landing on the moon in 1972, on a black-and-white television screen, while he held the device's antenna to adjust the image, so that the family could follow the event.
When he talked to his father about his dream, his father gave him a magical description, saying: “Define your goal, then your position on it, draw a road map towards it, and learn, even if you do not know much about it, and when you think you have achieved it, you will often have to work harder.”
On the other hand, NASA rejected Hernandez's request to join astronaut preparation classes 11 times. When he despaired halfway through after being rejected the sixth time, his wife encouraged him to continue, stressing that he should not underestimate his self-worth.
At the age of 41, the dream came true
At the age of 41, Hernandez has already become an astronaut, although the average age at which a person becomes an astronaut is 34 years.
In an article in Newsweek magazine on Friday, Hernandez (61 years old) said that his journey from a poor suburb to space is “an embodiment of perseverance, self-discovery, and the constant pursuit of a dream.”
He continued: "Reaching for the stars is not just a catchy phrase, but a reminder that dreams can be achieved, even when obstacles seem insurmountable."
The movie “A Million Miles Away,” starring Michael Peña, was admired by many critics and audiences.
Source: websites