Who is Victor Glover? Know about the first Black person to fly to Moon in NASA’s Artemis II mission

On Monday, April 3, NASA disclosed the names of four astronauts who are slated to be the first to take a trip to the Moon in more than five decades since the Apollo missions ended. This mission marks a significant shift from the Apollo era, when all astronauts were white males, as it includes the first woman and the first black astronaut to journey into lunar orbit.

Astronaut Christina Hammock Koch will make history by becoming the first woman to travel to the Moon, while Victor Glover will make history by becoming the first black astronaut to enter lunar orbit. They will be accompanied by astronaut Jeremy Hansen and commander Reid Wiseman, who will lead the expedition to the Moon.

At a festive event held at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, the Artemis II crew was unveiled before a crowd that included journalists, leaders in the space industry, and elementary school students. The event had a pep rally-like atmosphere.


"This crew is emblematic of the thousands of individuals who have dedicated themselves to the pursuit of space exploration," declared NASA Administrator Bill Nelson from the stage. "They are the representatives of humanity on this mission."

Who is Victor Glover?

Victor Glover, a resident of Pomona, California, is married to Dionna Odom, a former resident of Berkeley, California, and they have four children together. While his mother resides in southern California, his father and stepmother live in Prosper, Texas.

Victor Glover graduated from Ontario High School in Ontario, California in 1994. He went on to earn a Bachelor of Science degree in General Engineering from California Polytechnic State University located in San Luis Obispo, California in 1999. In 2007, he obtained a Master of Science degree in Flight Test Engineering from the Air University at Edwards Air Force Base, California as a part of the USAF TPS program. He then earned a Master of Science degree in Systems Engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School in 2009 as a part of the PD‐21 program. Additionally, in 2010, he received a Master of Military Operational Art and Science from the Air University in Montgomery, Alabama.

In 2013, Victor J. Glover, Jr. was chosen as an astronaut while working as a Legislative Fellow in the United States Senate. He recently served as the pilot and second-in-command on the Crew-1 SpaceX Crew Dragon, named Resilience, which successfully landed on May 2, 2021. This mission marked the first post-certification flight of SpaceX's Crew Dragon spacecraft, as well as the second crewed flight for that vehicle. During the mission, Glover also served as a Flight Engineer on the International Space Station as a part of Expedition 64. He has been appointed as the Pilot for NASA's Artemis II mission.

FAQs:

Q1:How old is Victor Glover?
46 years

Q2:What is Artemis II launch date?
Sometime in November 2024