!Viva NASA! Johnson Space Center Ready to Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month

by Dominique Crespo | 2023-09-15

The start of Hispanic Heritage Month is approaching, and NASA’s Johnson Space Center Hispanic Employee Resources Group (HERG) has prepared an array of festive events beginning on Friday, September 15 through October 15 to celebrate the history and culture of Latino and Hispanic communities. Commemorating how the Hispanic culture has influenced society, NASA is excited to kick off a month-long fiesta.

Employees at NASA's Johnson Space Center joining together to make NASA astronaut Frank Rubio a congratulatory banner for his record-breaking spaceflight.

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On September 7, all Employee Resource Groups were invited to create a welcome home banner for NASA astronaut Frank Rubio, a Salvadoran native, as he embarked on his historic mission to break the record for the longest single spaceflight. In addition to creating a special message for Rubio, volunteers sorted through solar eclipse glasses in preparation for our Open House and Solar Eclipse viewing on October 14. Civil servants, contractors, and interns worked alongside each other to sort through thousands of glasses and paint Rubio’s banner – making the perfect start to the Hispanic Heritage Month festivities. HERG invites you to take a group photo with Rubio's banner on Wednesday, September 20 at 11:30 a.m. in the Teague lobby.

There will be a Hispanic Heritage Month Career Panel, "Lanzando tu Carrera Hasta la Luna, Launching your Career to Reach the Moon" on Thursday, September 21 from 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. in the Building 30 Auditorium and on Microsoft Teams. The panelists will respond to a series of questions related to their careers at NASA and how entry-to-mid-level staff can break existing career barriers, including acquiring the requisite skills for advancing to senior-level positions within Johnson and NASA.

The panel event will showcase the importance of the Hispanic community within the Johnson and NASA family. Panelists include Arturo Sanchez, director of external relations; Jose C. Garcia, director of procurement; Jackelynne Silva-Martinez, Ph.D., Artemis mission integrator; Raul Blanco, divisional chief of crew and thermal systems; Susan A. Harper, White Sands Test Facility manager of Materials Flight Acceptance Standard Testing; and Jose Barreda, deputy director of Jacobs Technology Inc. Test and Operations.

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Hispanic Employee Resource Group and Women Excelling in Life and Leadership will host a Hispanic Heritage Month celebration featuring a career panel with special guests on September 21 from 1 - 2 p.m. in the Building 30 Auditorium.

Ready to celebrate the Hispanic communities? Johnson Space Center is hosting a Salsa y Solar Eclipse event where you can enjoy a true NASA fiesta! On Wednesday, October 4 from 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. in the Teague Lobby, we will have a mariachi band, salsa competition, salsa lessons, a taco truck, and solar eclipse glasses for everyone to enjoy the upcoming eclipse at our Open House. NASA stickers and posters will also be handed out while supplies lasts.

Come celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month at Johnson and get to know Hispanic culture through your work community! With several events happening onsite this month, there is plenty of room for you to join the fiesta.

For questions regarding events, please contact the HERG Outreach Co-Chair Jessica Cordero, jessica.a.cordero@nasa.gov