José Hernández

Born in French Camp, California, José Hernández spent his childhood traveling with his family as they followed the harvest cycle, picking crops from California to Mexico. It's a tough life, but it certainly builds character. He learned English at age 12, went to college, and eventually earned a Master's degree, proving that dedication (and maybe a little bit of good luck) can take you far. Really far, if you aim for orbit.

After a stellar career as an engineer at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, where he even helped develop a full-field digital mammography system, Hernández was selected by NASA in 2004. He finally flew into space aboard Space Shuttle Discovery in 2009, spending 14 days orbiting the Earth. We're pretty sure he didn't take matzo ball soup to the International Space Station.

While his journey from farm fields to the final frontier is undoubtedly impressive and inspiring, there's absolutely no indication that Hernández has any connection to Judaism. His background is firmly rooted elsewhere, which, for our purposes, means no points for Identity or Origin. Kvell-worthiness, however? Hard to argue with "astronaut."