Californias Victor Glover: A patriot who puts space over race

Captain Victor Glover — born, raised, and educated in California — made history this year as the first black person to orbit the Moon, when he led NASA’s Artemis II mission.But that’s not how he sees his achievement.At a May 1 CBS town hall event with the four astronauts of the Artemis II crew, 11-year-old Ameya asked Captain Glover: “How did it feel to be the first person of color to fly around the moon?”“Good question,” a host was heard saying.Glover, who had just piloted the billion-dollar Orion capsule to the Moon and back, seemed a little piqued by the question.“You know, Ameya.

Thank you for the question,” he acknowledged.Then, as if drawing inspiration from his view of earthrise in lunar transit, Capt.Glover supplied one of the greatest lessons on teamwork, selflessness, and patriotism that Americans have seen in a generation.“One of the things about swinging for the fences and trying to hit a home run when the game is on the line, is if you think about that,” gesturing at himself, “that can add pressure and make you not go up there and play your best game.“So, I focused a lot on working with this team and trying to be a good teammate….

I think one of the reasons we were as successful as we were, is that we spent a lot of time thinking about us, not me individually.” California's top news, sports and entertainment delivered to your inbox every day.Please provide a valid email.

By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.Never miss a story For the visual coda, Glover then pointed to the Velcro-backed decorations on his flight suit. “I spent a lot of time thinking about this patch,” touching his NASA insignia, “and this patch,” his right hand fixing on the American flag. “… Not this patch,” he concluded, pointing to his name tag.Glover’s response was an exquisite embrace of the post-civil rights consensus, a norm that governed the...