Victor Glover Makes History as First Black Astronaut to Serve a Long-Term Stay at the Space Station

Victor Glover, a pilot and second-in-command on the Crew-1 SpaceX Crew Dragon, named Resilience, made history on Tuesday, November 17, as the first Black astronaut to serve a full six-month stint aboard the International Space Station.

He is the 14th Black American to travel into space out of more than 300 NASA astronauts.

"It is something to be celebrated once we accomplish it, and, you know, I am honored to be in this position and to be a part of this great and experienced crew," Glover said during a news conference, before Crew-1 got off the ground. "And I look forward to getting up there and doing my best to make sure that, you know, we are worthy of all the work that's been put into setting us up for this mission."

Glover is joined by fellow NASA astronauts Mike Hopkins and Shannon Walker, along with Japan's Soichi Noguchi. They've embarked on the first post-certification mission of SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft – the second crewed flight for that vehicle – and a long-duration mission aboard the International Space Station. He will also serve as Flight Engineer on the International Space Station for Expedition 64.

A California native, Glover was selected as an astronaut in 2013 while serving as a Legislative Fellow in the United States Senate. He is a Naval Aviator and was a test pilot in the F/A‐18 Hornet, Super Hornet and EA‐18G Growler.

The 44-year-old also holds a Bachelor of Science in General Engineering, a Master of Science in Flight Test Engineering, a Master of Science in Systems Engineering and a Master of Military Operational Art and Science.

The first Black American involved in NASA's program was Ed Dwight, an Air Force test pilot, who became an astronaut candidate in the 1960s. Unfortunately, Dwight never went to space, that honor was given to Guion S. Bluford in 1983 when he came aboard the space shuttle Challenger.