12 minute read
Imagine looking at Earth from a distance of hundreds of thousands of kilometres. No borders, no political divisions, no visible differences between the people living on its surface — just one small planet suspended in the darkness of space.
For NASA astronaut Victor Glover, this is not an exercise in imagination. A former US Navy fighter pilot and test pilot, Glover joined NASA's astronaut corps in 2013 and made his first spaceflight in 2020 as the pilot of SpaceX's Crew-1 mission to the International Space Station. During his 168-day stay aboard the ISS, he became the first Black American astronaut to complete a long-duration mission there.
In April 2026, he made history again as the pilot of NASA's Artemis II mission, becoming the first Black astronaut to travel around the Moon. His journey offered him an extraordinary perspective on Earth, one that is difficult to put into words.
His path to the Moon, however, was not something he had immediately envisioned. Having only recently returned from space, Glover was initially reluctant to accept the assignment. Looking back, he describes the experience as one of the best of his life.
In an exclusive interview with Armenpress on the sidelines of STARMUS VIII, Glover reflects on the Artemis mission and what it means to see our planet from deep space. He discusses why space exploration matters beyond scientific discovery, how it can bring people together across borders, and what humanity should learn from looking at Earth from afar. He also speaks about the more personal dimensions of his journey — from faith and fatherhood to learning when to stop planning for the future and start appreciating the present.
Armenpress: What were your first thoughts when you learned you would be flying to the Moon and travelling around its far side?
Victor Glover: My first feelings were actually negative. To be honest, I didn't want to go because I was doing something else that was very important, and I had just come back from space very recently. So I actually had a lot of internal conflict.
But my boss asked me to do it, and I felt they were asking because they needed me or one of my skills, so I felt I should say yes. Dependability is a very important value to me. If my boss asks me, I feel I should say yes.
And then, from that, three years later, to go to the other side of the Moon, it was one of the best things I've ever done. And I guess the point of talking about how negative it was in the beginning is because sometimes we are asked to do things, or we have goals whose value we may not be able to see, the light at the end of the tunnel. But there's some kid in college right now who's thinking about quitting because it's not what they want.
And sometimes we're right, but sometimes we're not, and we have to grow into the roles that we're given. And I spent a lot of time in prayer, in my journal, talking to my family, talking to my friends, and all of those things helped me to focus on the mission and focus on what I believe is God's will for my life.
Was there a moment of fear or hesitation when you were already in space?
No, for a few reasons. But the first thing I want to say is that it's okay to have fear in those situations. Some people experience fear, and that's normal.
One, I had been to space before. Two, before I went to space, I had deployed five times in very dangerous places with small teams, and one of those was in combat. But more important than any of those experiences or any of that, I believe in God.
And the things that I worry about the most are my children. So doing something dangerous myself doesn't make me fearful. Thinking about my children having to figure out life without their father, that's different.
I'm not afraid of flying in space, the vacuum, spacecraft, or an untested heat shield. I'm afraid of my children being fatherless. So they're tied, but they're different. Sitting in a spaceship doesn't make me fearful. But it's mainly because I believe in God, not because I'm a strong man.
So no, I didn't have fear.
What was it like looking at Earth? I know you've been asked that question many times.
When you're living on the space station, the Earth looks about as big as the space between your hands if you stretch your arms out from elbow to elbow. I got to see the Earth as it is. I got to see the way countries are situated together, separated by water, with water cutting through them.
I got to see the way the planet communicates with itself: water swirling around in the sky, in the oceans, dust from continent to continent, storms, lightning, and the auroras. It was a beautiful thing. But then, on this mission, because we went so far away, I got to see the Earth as it is, but also, now, I got to see where it is.
And you know, the Milky Way is big, and it's beautiful. There are stars. But really, when you look closely, there are no stars close to us other than our Sun. So when you put it in perspective, the Earth—there's dust and other things in space and cosmic radiation, but it's mostly nothing. We know that intellectually, and even if you've seen the “Pale Blue Dot” picture, it's different to see it with your own eyes. I could look out and see Earth this big, and it made me appreciate that we can live here, that we survive, and that we work together.
And one of the beauties of this STARMUS conference is really the intersection of different fields. We teach science, art, and religion separately, but they aren't separate. And when I saw the world like that, it was just a nudge in the direction that it's all linked, it's all connected—all people, all of our beliefs, the right and wrong. It's all still the same system. And we better figure it out. We need to figure out that we're the same and then take care of us and our spaceship.
Half a century after the Apollo missions, we're now launching Artemis. Why is it important to return to the Moon, and what can space exploration give humanity?
There are the technological advances that we got from Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, and the space shuttle. They improved life on Earth, remote medicine, navigation on Earth, timekeeping, and communication systems. They gave us lots of practical things that affect what we do every day.
But on a higher level, I think there is also the inspirational quality. If you listen to people talk about Artemis II, it's unique compared to the space station.
We've been flying this space station now for 26 years with humans on it, and longer than that—28 years—with no people. I wish the space station had created the same investment as Artemis did, but it did not. I lived on the space station much longer. I did many more things. It was just as dangerous, but it didn't captivate people. And that is valuable.
People being connected to the mission gives us the realization that we can be together for anything. What I said earlier: realizing that we had better get it together as people to protect each other and to protect this spaceship we live on called Earth. We came together for Artemis in a way we haven't for other things—not for COVID or war—and I think we should think about that more. And we should use that to our advantage.
If these missions can create that kind of investment, that kind of inspiration, then we should, of course, keep doing the human space exploration that gives us scientific discovery, that gives us practical applications on Earth, better medicine, better technology to make life more convenient, but ultimately reminds us that we're the same and that we should work together.
That's a very simple thing. And it took this really daring mission to remind us of this very simple thing.
As a member of the Artemis team, you're an inspiration to younger generations. What would you say to young people who dream of becoming astronauts and going into space?
Three things I believe all the kids should do. Be resilient. Don't just go through the hard times. Get better through the hard times.
Number two, be a lifelong learner. You learn in school. You learn in sports. You learn in church. You learn in theater. You learn when you play. You learn from your parents. You learn from your friends. And it's all of it. I'm a pilot. I learned with ease. It's everything. It's what you can do with your brain and your body and your heart. Lifelong learning is number two.
The third one is to be a good teammate, to understand the importance of working together even when it's not easy. And that one, I would say, is the most important because my generation has not done it as well. So I think for the kids also, I would tell them very clearly: learn everything you can from us older people, but don't be like us. Be better than us.
You're now a retired astronaut. What are your plans?
I'm going to fly back to America and enjoy being with my wife. I'll see my children later in the week.
You know, I ran really hard for 30 years, thinking about what's next, planning, setting things up, and there will be some of that. I will still do some of those things. But one reason I retired was so I could focus on the present, rather than being so focused on what's next.
The Armenpress coverage of the STARMUS festival is supported by Team Telecom Armenia.