Victor Glover: From Pomona, California to the Moon

Victor Glover, a United States Navy Captain and NASA astronaut, piloted the Artemis II mission in April 2026, becoming one of the first four people to travel near the Moon since 1972. This mission established Glover as the first Black person to reach the Moon, as the crew conducted a lunar flyby that took them farther from Earth than any other humans in history.

The Artemis II mission was designed as a crewed flight to travel around the Moon without landing or entering lunar orbit. Glover served as the pilot for the mission, contributing to a historic milestone in space exploration by breaking a decades-long gap in Black American representation during long-term lunar and orbital missions.

Professional Background and NASA Career

Glover is a member of the 2013 NASA astronaut class (Group 21). Before his tenure with NASA, he served as a naval officer and a test pilot, having flown the F/A-18. He is also a graduate of the United States Air Force Test Pilot School.

In 2020, Glover piloted the first operational flight of the SpaceX Crew Dragon to the International Space Station (ISS). During this mission, he served as a flight engineer on Expedition 64, making him the first Black American astronaut to live aboard the ISS. This achievement highlighted a significant gap in space history; while previous Black astronauts had visited the station for short durations during shuttle missions, none had served as long-term expedition crew members until Glover’s 2020 mission.

According to NASA records, Glover’s time in space totals 176 days, 8 hours, and 1 minute. His experience includes four extravehicular activities (EVAs), with a total EVA time of 26 hours and 7 minutes.

Early Life and Education

Born on April 30, 1976, in Pomona, California, Victor Jerome Glover Jr. Was raised in a household that encouraged science and engineering. His father, Victor Jerome Glover, served as a police officer, and his mother, Cynthia Maxwell, worked as a bookkeeper.

Glover attended Ontario High School, graduating in 1994. During his time there, he was an athlete who competed in pole vault and played as a quarterback and running back for the Jaguars football team. He was recognized as the school’s 1994 Athlete of the Year.

His academic credentials include several degrees in engineering and flight operations:

• Bachelor of Science in general engineering from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo (1999).
• Master of Science in flight test engineering from Air University (2007).
• Master of Science in systems engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School.
• A Master of Military Art and Science (MMAS) from Air University.

Significance of the Artemis II Mission

The Artemis II mission represents the first crewed effort to return humans to the vicinity of the Moon in over half a century. By piloting this mission, Glover transitioned from being the first Black American to live on the ISS to being the first Black person to travel to the Moon.

The mission utilized the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and the Orion spacecraft. Because the mission was a flyby, the crew did not land on the lunar surface, but the trajectory placed them among the small group of humans who have traveled the farthest distance from Earth.