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Last updated: 11 november, 2009 - 12:43 GMT

A Space Odyssey

Space, the final frontier: Jose Hernandez and his journey from Mexican crop picker to the furthest reaches of space.

Photo: NASA

Photo: NASA

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Jose Hernandez embodies the American dream perhaps more than most.

His life has taken him far: from being an immigrant crop picker in California to the furthest reaches of space.

On 28 August this year Jose travelled as an astronaut on the US shuttle Discovery, achieving a long held dream.

Photo: NASA

Photo: NASA

But it was a dream that once seemed unimaginable.

Jose Hernandez grew up as the son of Mexican immigrant parents who worked as seasonal crop pickers.

Helping in the fields as a nine year old boy, he would look at the moon and dream of going to space.

It might have seemed impossible, but he finally made it happen.

He studied hard, gained an engineering degree, and was ultimately accepted as a NASA astronaut on a Discovery space voyage .

Jose spoke to Matthew Bannister from the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, and told him all about his incredible journey.

Tacos in space. Photo: NASA

Tacos in space. Photo: NASA

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