Retired astronaut visits El Paso to spread inspiration
By Dave Burge
Published on April 19, 2026.
Engineer and retired astronaut Jose Hernandez visited El Paso, Texas, to inspire students and science enthusiasts at the El Paso Science Festival. The event, sponsored by EPCC, featured interactive exhibits, live science shows, presentations and a speaker series. Hernandez, whose life story is the subject of the 2023 biopic "A Million Miles Away," spoke to students at the EPCC Valle Verde Flexitorium and served as the keynote speaker at the Science Festival at the Convention Center. The festival also featured a student panel discussion, where EPCC/UTEP engineering student Damian Ibarra joined Hernández and members of the UTEP engineering program.
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