On Monday, NASA introduced the four astronauts who are headed to the moon. One of those astronauts has North Texas ties and will make history for the second time.
The three Americans and one Canadian will be the crew of Artemis II, a 10-day mission occurring no earlier than the end of 2024 that will travel around the moon before heading back to Earth.
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WATCH HEREAstronaut Victor Glover will take on the role of a pilot for the Artemis II flight – set to launch around the moon sometime in late 2024. NBC 5 spoke to Victor Glover’s father, Victor Glover Sr.
“Watching the announcement this morning I had tears running down my face because [I was] excited and emotional at the same time,” said Glover Sr.
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SIGN UP The last time NBC 5 caught up with the senior Glover was in 2021 when his son made history as the first Black astronaut to complete a long-term stay aboard the International Space Station.
From his home in Prosper, Glover Sr. told us this again is special. His son will also join NASA’s first woman to the moon, Christina Koch.
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“These astronauts and what they do inspire a whole generation of kids to want to be where they are,” he said.
For space exploration enthusiasts, this is massive. Ken Ruffin is president of the National Space Society of North Texas. He affirmed what NASA has said for decades. This is a marathon.
“This is just one big piece of a much large puzzle,” Ruffin said. “On the big picture, the biggest stage you can imagine, it’s about preserving humanity; preserving life as we know it.”
Ruffin said there are practical reasons why the general population should care.
“There’s so many space technologies that people are using on a daily basis and things that would not exist if not for space technology,” he said.
Ruffin will watch anxiously along with Glover Sr. in 2024 as another mission to go down in history.
Ahead of his upcoming journey, Victor Glover made it clear that there is much to be done.
“It is the next step in the journey that gets humanity to Mars,” he said.
