Victor J. Glover facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Victor Glover
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Glover in 2023
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Victor Jerome Glover
April 30, 1976 Pomona, California, U.S.
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| Space career | |
| NASA astronaut | |
| Rank | Captain, USN |
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Time in space
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167 days, 6 hours, 29 minutes |
| Selection | NASA Group 21 (2013) |
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Total EVAs
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4 |
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Total EVA time
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26 hours, 7 minutes |
| Missions | SpaceX Crew-1 (Expedition 64/65) |
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Mission insignia
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Victor Jerome Glover (born April 30, 1976) is a NASA astronaut. He was a pilot on the first official flight of the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft to the International Space Station (ISS). He is also a skilled F/A-18 pilot in the U.S. Navy.
Glover was chosen to be the pilot for the Artemis II mission. This mission is planned to fly around the Moon in 2026. If this mission is successful, he will be the first person of color to travel beyond Earth's orbit.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Victor Glover grew up in Pomona, California. He finished Ontario High School in 1994. In high school, he was a talented athlete, playing quarterback and running back for his football team. He even won the Athlete of the Year Award in 1994.
Victor's father, Victor Glover Sr., helped him develop an interest in science and engineering. His grandfather served in the Air Force during the Korean War. He faced many challenges that made it hard for him to become a pilot.
College and Advanced Degrees
Glover went to California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in general engineering in 1999. While there, he was part of the wrestling team and also played football.
Later, between 2007 and 2010, he earned three master's degrees. He got a Master of Science in Flight Test Engineering from Air University (United States Air Force). He also earned a Master of Science in Systems Engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School. His third master's degree was in Military Operational Art and Science, also from Air University.
Glover also has special certificates in space systems and legislative studies.
Victor Glover is married to Dionna Odom Glover. They have four daughters.
Military Career
Victor Glover joined the United States Navy in 1999. He started his flight training in Florida and earned his naval aviator wings in 2001. He then trained to fly the F/A-18C Hornet jet.
In 2003, he joined a squadron called VFA-34. With this group, he flew missions to support Operation Iraqi Freedom. In 2006, Glover was chosen to attend the United States Air Force Test Pilot School. After graduating in 2007, he became a test pilot. He worked on testing new aircraft.
Later, he was stationed in Japan with another squadron, VFA-195. They supported naval operations in the Pacific Ocean. Before he was selected as an astronaut in 2013, Glover worked in Washington, D.C., helping a senator with laws.
During his time in the military, Glover has flown over 3,000 hours in more than 40 different types of aircraft. He has also landed on aircraft carriers over 400 times and flown 24 combat missions. His pilot nickname is "Ike."
NASA Career
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Glover and his crewmates inside the SpaceX Crew-1 capsule during its approach to the ISS
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Victor Glover was introduced as one of the new astronauts in June 2013. He finished his training in 2015.
Space Missions and Achievements
In August 2018, Glover was chosen for a special mission. He was assigned to fly on the first official crewed flight of SpaceX's Crew Dragon spacecraft. This mission was called Crew-1. As part of this mission, he became a crew member on ISS Expedition 64 and Expedition 65. He lived on the space station for more than six months.
Glover is the first African American ISS Expedition crew member to live on the ISS for a long stay. Before him, other Black astronauts visited the ISS on Space Shuttle missions, but only for short periods.
The SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule, named Resilience, launched on November 15, 2020. It carried Glover and two other NASA astronauts, Michael S. Hopkins and Shannon Walker. A Japanese astronaut, Soichi Noguchi, was also on board. They arrived at the space station on November 17, 2020. While on the ISS, Glover was chosen on December 9, 2020, to be one of 18 astronauts for NASA's Artemis program.
Spacewalks and Important Calls
Glover completed his first spacewalk on January 27, 2021. It lasted over six hours. He worked with astronaut Michael Hopkins to upgrade the Columbus module on the ISS. On his second spacewalk, also with Hopkins, Glover replaced a broken external camera. For his third spacewalk, he and Kate Rubins started work to improve the station's power supply. This prepared the station for new solar arrays.
On February 24, 2021, Vice President Kamala Harris made a video call to Glover on the space station. They talked about space travel, seeing Earth from space, and Glover's historic time on the ISS. They also discussed preparing for future missions to the Moon and Mars.
On April 3, 2023, it was announced that Glover would be the pilot for the Artemis II mission. This mission is planned to fly around the Moon in April 2026. He will fly with NASA astronauts Gregory R. Wiseman and Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen.
Images for kids
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LCDR Glover, 2013
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Glover in Node 1 on board the International Space Station
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Glover conducting his first EVA during ISS Expedition 64
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Glover mounting station battery modules in the steelwork of the S6 truss
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Victor reading blueprint information on an iPad inside the Quest Airlock, in prep for his spacewalk
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Glover and his crewmates in the US lab
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A smiling Glover poses next to a hatch in Node 1.
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Victor and Mike in Node 2
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Selfie in the Japanese Experiment Module
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In the Cupola
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Glover and the entire crew of Expedition 64 in Node 3 above the Cupola
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Christmas celebration
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Working on a desk containing a hydroponics plant experiment in Node 2
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US lab station machinery systems checking
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See also
In Spanish: Victor J. Glover para niños
- List of Artemis astronauts
- List of African-American astronauts
