Victor Glover

Victor Jerome Glover Jr., born on April 30, 1976, is an American naval officer, test pilot, and NASA astronaut. He is known for his work as a pilot, flying the F/A-18 aircraft.

In 2020, Glover piloted the first flight of SpaceX's Crew Dragon to the International Space Station. He was the first Black American astronaut to live and work on the space station.

In April 2026, Glover piloted the Artemis II mission. This made him the first person of color to travel close to the Moon. He became one of the few humans to travel far from Earth.

Early life and education

Victor Jerome Glover Jr. was born on April 30, 1976, in Pomona, California. His parents, Cynthia Maxwell and Victor Jerome Glover, encouraged him to love science and engineering. He finished Ontario High School in 1994. He played football and was named Athlete of the Year.

Glover went to California Polytechnic State University and got a Bachelor of Science degree in general engineering in 1999. He was the first in his family to go to college. Later, he earned three master's degrees from different schools between 2007 and 2010. He also has certificates in space systems and legislative studies from other universities.

Military career

Victor Glover became an officer in the United States Navy in 1999. He learned to fly at Naval Air Station Pensacola in Florida and got his pilot wings in 2001. He flew F/A-18C Hornet planes with VMFAT-101 at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego, California.

In 2003, he joined VFA-34, based at Naval Air Station Oceana in Virginia. He flew on the last trip of the USS John F. Kennedy to help with Operation Iraqi Freedom.

In 2006, Glover went to the United States Air Force Test Pilot School. After finishing in 2007, he worked as a test pilot with VX-31 at Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake in California. In 2011, he joined VFA-195 at Naval Air Facility Atsugi in Japan. This group flew with the USS George Washington in the Western Pacific Ocean.

When he became an astronaut candidate in 2013, Glover was working for Senator John McCain in Washington, D.C.. During his time as a pilot, Glover flew for 3,000 hours in over 40 different planes and landed on ships more than 400 times. His callsign, given by his first boss, is "Ike".

NASA career

Glover joined NASA's Astronaut Group 21 in June 2013 and finished training in 2015.

In August 2018, Glover became one of NASA's Commercial Crew astronauts and was picked for the first operational flight of SpaceX's Crew Dragon. He served as a station systems flight engineer on Expeditions 64 and Expedition 65 for over six months. Glover was the first Black American ISS Expedition crewmember to live on the International Space Station, not just visit during Space Shuttle assembly missions.

The SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule Resilience launched on November 15, 2020, with Glover and NASA astronauts Michael S. Hopkins and Shannon Walker, and JAXA astronaut Soichi Noguchi. They reached the International Space Station on November 17. Glover was later chosen for NASA's Artemis Program on December 9, 2020.

Glover did his first spacewalk on January 27, 2021, working with Hopkins to improve the Columbus module. On his second spacewalk, he fixed a broken external camera with Hopkins. On his third spacewalk, he and Kate Rubins began work to upgrade the station's power system.

On February 24, 2021, NASA shared a video call between Vice President Kamala Harris and Glover on the station. They talked about spaceflight history, viewing Earth from the station, and preparing for missions to the Moon and Mars.

On April 8, 2023, Glover was named the pilot of the Artemis II mission, which launched on April 1, 2026, and flew around the Moon on April 6, 2026. He was joined by NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman and Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen. Glover is the first African American to leave low Earth orbit and travel around the Moon, and his crew reached the farthest human distance from Earth.

Personal life

Victor Glover is married to Dionna Odom Glover, and they have four daughters. He is a Christian and attends a Churches of Christ congregation in Friendswood, Texas with his wife. He says his faith inspires him and has taken items like a Bible and communion cups to the International Space Station. Glover also enjoys listening to a poem called "Whitey on the Moon" by Gil Scott-Heron on his way to work.