Victor Glover”Fly me to the Moon,” says Astronaut Victor Glover. He will take Artemis 2 close to the moon Victor Glover
| Astronaut Victor J. Glover |
| “Fly me to the Moon,” says Astronaut Victor Glover. He will take Artemis 2 close to the moon Victor J. Glover will pilot Artemis 2 when the rocket ship launches on Wednesday, making him the first Black person to reach the moon aboard a spaceship. The mission, however, is a lunar flyby, so the crew will not land on the moon or enter lunar orbit. The Artemis 2 mission is scheduled to launch on April 1, 2026, at 6:24 p.m. EDT. This mission will be the first crewed mission to the moon since 1972, with four astronauts aboard. In addition to Glover, the ten-day mission will also carry NASA astronauts Reid Weisman and Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen. In 1972, the Apollo 17 mission landed on the moon, making it the last spaceflight to the moon and the last time humans walked on the moon’s surface. Apollo 17 astronauts Eugene Cernan, Harrison Schmitt, and Ronald Evans landed on the moon in the lunar module Challenger and orbited the moon in the command module America. The mission lasted 13 days, with the astronauts spending 75 hours on the lunar surface and 6 days in lunar orbit. Apollo 17 was notable for its scientific experiments and the discovery of volcanic soil at the Taurus-Littrow Valley. The mission ended with a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean, marking the conclusion of the Apollo program and the beginning of new lunar exploration efforts. The Artemis program is set to utilize the Space Launch System (SLS), which is NASA’s most powerful rocket to date. The SLS is designed to carry astronauts, robots, and supplies to the Moon and Mars, marking the first crewed lunar mission in over 50 years. The SLS is a multistage rocket capable of carrying various additional modules, such as the Orion crew vehicle, which houses astronauts during flight. The SLS’s core stage stands over 212 feet tall, with a diameter of 27.6 feet, and when capped by the Orion crew capsule, the core stage will stand 322 feet tall. The SLS is part of NASA’s backbone for deep space exploration and Artemis, providing the necessary power and capability for the Artemis missions. So what does Artemis mean? She is the goddess of hunting, the wilderness, wild animals, transitions, nature, vegetation, childbirth, care of children, and chastity. She was often said to roam the forests and mountains, attended by an entourage of nymphs. Glover is a native of Pomona, California. He was a U.S. Navy test pilot before becoming an astronaut. He was selected as an astronaut in 2013 and completed the program in 2015. He has previously served as the pilot of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-1 mission to the International Space Station as part of Expedition 64. Glover attended California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo and received a Bachelor of Science degree in general engineering in 1999. While at Cal Poly, Glover became a member of the Phi Beta Sigma fraternity.[9] Additionally, Glover joined the Mustangs wrestling team, achieving a sixth-place finish at the CIF State Championship Meet. He also competed as a student-athlete for the 1996 Cal Poly football squad, wearing number 23 as a defensive back. From 2007 to 2010, he achieved three master’s degrees from three different institutions. Glover obtained a Master of Science in Flight Test Engineering from Air University (United States Air Force) in Edwards Air Force Base, California. He earned a Master of Science in Systems Engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California, and a Master of Military Operational Art and Science from Air University in Montgomery, Alabama. Glover, 49, holds a certificate in space systems from the Naval Postgraduate School, as well as a certificate in legislative studies from Georgetown University. |
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| The ten-day mission will carry the NASA astronauts Victor Glover, Reid Wiseman, and Christina Koch, along with the Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen. |