The recipe for success, according to astronaut José Hernández (June 2020 video) 1:38
(CNN) -
May your name be in the sky and among the stars.
That sounds like something out of a glamorous Hollywood movie, but it's a reality for 27 space explorers.
The new names honor black, Hispanic and Native American astronauts and a cosmonaut to inspire the next generation.
Marc W. Buie, the astronomer who discovered the 27 asteroids, told NASA that it was “an honor and a privilege to name these asteroids in recognition of other space explorers and at the same time contribute to the message of the power and value of diversity. in all human endeavors.
José Hernández and other astronauts behind the new asteroid names
José Hernández and his privilege of traveling to space 4:03
Originally these asteroids were named based on their position in space.
However, now José Hernández can look up and know that his asteroid, (122554) Joséhernández, is in orbit.
Hernández is part of a family of migrant farmers and spent his childhood working in the fields.
When he was in high school, Hernández already knew that he wanted to be an astronaut.
His inspiration was the work of Franklin Chang-Díaz, the namesake of another of these asteroids, (115015) Chang Díaz.
Hernández later earned two degrees in electrical engineering, which he used to develop the first full-field digital mammography imaging system.
Behind the asteroid (103739) Higginbotham there is another story.
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As an electrical engineer at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Joan Higginbotham participated in 53 shuttle launches.
She herself visited space when she flew the Discovery shuttle to the International Space Station, where she served as a specialist on an assembly mission.
The 27 asteroids are in a belt between Mars and Jupiter.
The team that is tasked with naming these asteroids at the International Astronomical Union said it plans to continue adding more diverse names to the sky in the future.
You can find the histories and locations of the 27 asteroids here.
AsteroidsNASA