National Hispanic Heritage Month and NASA

National Hispanic Heritage month is typically observed September 15 to October 15. It gives a deserved nod to the history, culture and contributions of American citizens from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America.

We have a resource page for that with recommendations on lessons to use to teach students about Hispanic culture. And we invite you to share lessons you are using in your classroom to teach students about this month.

The Hispanic Connection and NASA

National Hispanic Heritage month offers a great opportunity to discuss the achievements and contributions of Hispanic citizens. Did you know that many of those contributions and innovations are being made in science at NASA?

For example: Pedro Curiel a Systems Engineer for the Robotics Division is researching and developing the next generation of astronaut jetpack that would be hands free. He is originally from Juarez, Mexico.

Watch him tell his story.

Here is the story of Luis Dominguez, another Systems Engineer who works in NASA’s jet propulsion division. His parents are from Mexico and Honduras.

Use these stories to make a personal connection between science fields and National Hispanic Heritage Month.