Astronaut Victor Glover, a Southern California native who piloted NASA’s Artemis II mission around the moon this year, is stepping back from the space agency.
He began a full-time leadership position at his alma mater, Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo, on Sept. 1, according to a news release from the university.
As the only pilot to have flown NASA’s moon-faring Orion capsule, Glover will continue supporting astronaut training for lunar missions under the agency’s emeritus program, according to a NASA news release.
Glover’s crewmate, Artemis II cmdr. Reid Wiseman is also retreating from astronaut duties to join the emeritus program, the agency said. Artemis II mission specialist Jeremy Hansen announced in July he would step back from the Canadian Space Agency this month.
Out of the crew of four, that leaves only mission specialist Christina Koch as a full-time astronaut.
In June, Glover visited Cal Poly to speak to an audience of nearly 1,300 about his experience flying around the moon. In August, he made a surprise appearance on campus around the start of fall classes at a welcome event for students and families at the university’s stadium.
In his new role, the astronaut will work closely will Cal Poly’s president to position the university as a “global leader in polytechnic education, research innovation and workforce production,” the news release said. He will also work on initiatives to “inspire the next generation of students to pursue STEM-related disciplines.” (STEM stands for “science, technology, engineering and math.”)
Cal Poly has always held a special place in Glover’s heart. He met his wife, Dionna, on campus while both were students. All four of his daughters have either graduated or are attending the university.
Glover was born in Pomona and graduated from Ontario High School. During his upbringing, he lived “all over” Southern California’s urban sprawl, including Baldwin Village. He graduated Cal Poly in 1999 with a degree in engineering.
After serving in the military for 15 years — including as a Navy test pilot — he was selected by NASA for its 21st class of astronauts in 2013.
At the space agency, he piloted the first operational mission of SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule to the International Space Station in 2020. In April, he piloted NASA’s first mission to return humans to the moon in more than 50 years.
While the Artemis II crew did not land on the lunar surface, the astronauts’ expressions of awe for the lunar surface and profound love for Earth captured the public’s attention.
“Maybe the distance we are from you makes you think what we’re doing is special,” Glover said on Easter while on his way to the moon. “But we’re the same distance from you, and — I’m trying to tell you, just trust me — you are special. In all of this emptiness — this is a whole bunch of nothing, this thing we call the universe — you have this oasis, this beautiful place that we get to exist, together.”
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