Capt. Sergio Martinez of Hill Air Force Base is finally fulfilling his childhood dream of working in the space sector. This summer, the aerospace engineer will begin a new position as a Guardian in the Space Force.
The new title comes with some misconceptions.
“I had to explain to the family that I was not going to be deployed to the moon,” he said. “I was like ‘No, they’re not putting me in a rocket ship.’”
But he might help build rocket ships.
Martinez was one of 20 officers and service members at Hill Air Force Base who were sworn into the Space Force this month. His 5-year-old son, Anders, helped replace his patches during the ceremony.
Another misconception people sometimes have is thinking NASA and the Space Force are the same, said Martinez.
The two are separate entities, although they have announced plans to collaborate. NASA’s stated mission is to expand knowledge for the benefit of humanity.
The Space Force, which has a total of 16,000 personnel, was founded as a branch of the United States Armed Forces in December 2019. It arose from the pre-existing Air Force Space Command, and its stated mission is to protect U.S. and allied interests in space. One of its responsibilities is protecting satellites that are used for communication and navigation.
The new force was created by former President Donald Trump’s administration, but President Joe Biden’s administration has said it supports the Space Force.
The names “Space Force” and “Guardians” have been the subject of mocking on social media, with allusions made to the Marvel film “Guardians of the Galaxy.”
Despite this, Utah is currently considering a bill that would codify the Space Force as an equal branch of the armed forces. The proposed changes in state code mirror changes in federal code.
“Space is becoming a contested environment,” Jefferson Burton, R-Salem, said in support of the bill during a debate last month. “And thus we need a Space Force.”
Martinez decided he wanted to join the Space Force last spring when service members were given the option of applying to the new branch. He found out in October that he had been accepted.
He said he has been interested in space since he was a child. Martinez came to the United States from El Salvador when he was 3. His parents spoke Spanish at home, so he learned English in part from watching television. Some of his favorite shows included “Lost in Space,” “Star Trek” and other stories about the final frontier.
“As a little kid coming to the U.S., I wanted to do stuff with spaceships and airplanes one day,” he said.
After realizing he was good at math in high school, Martinez decided to study aerospace engineering in college. He said he came to a crossroad after he graduated when he wasn’t sure what to do with his life. After praying, he decided to join the Air Force, where he has been working on aircraft for the past eight years.
Now he is excited to switch to working on rockets and satellites, but also a little nervous. He hopes he will get up to speed quickly in his new role.
Martinez said he has spent a lot of time talking to Anders about space over the past year. He isn’t sure Anders completely understands his father’s new job, but he said the boy was very excited about last week’s Mars rover landing.
“For a long time he said he wanted to be a pilot, but now says he wants to work on a Mars rover,” said Martinez.
He said his 3-year-old son, Horatio, has declared that he wants to be an astronaut. His 8-month-old son, Oscar, has yet to declare a desired profession, but Martinez said he is a “fun guy.”
For now, the family is preparing to move to a Space Force base in Los Angeles this summer. Martinez’s wife, Catherine Beck, is originally from Utah, although they met in Florida, and the family has lived here since he was posted at Hill Air Force Base in 2017. Martinez said L.A. will also be a good location for them since he has family nearby.
Even though his new role will bring new challenges, he said he feels confident in his decision to join the Space Force.
“I’m still a newbie; I’m taking a plunge into the unknown,” he said. “That’s something else I’ve prayed about, that I feel good about for me and my family.”
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