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NASA astronaut Victor Glover drew praise on social media after he said his involvement in the Artemis II mission should be seen as part of “human history,” not a racial milestone, and conservatives circulated clips of his remarks ahead of the crew’s launch Wednesday.
He made the remarks during a March 29 press event ahead of NASA’s Artemis II mission, which is returning astronauts to lunar orbit for the first time in decades. The mission has been noted for its historic crew composition, including the first woman and first Black astronaut assigned to a lunar mission.
Glover acknowledged the significance of representation while pointing to a broader aspiration beyond it.
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“I live in this dichotomy between happiness that a young woman can look at Christina [Koch] and just physicalize her passion or her interests … and that young, Brown boys and girls can look at me and go, ‘Hey, he looks like me, and he’s doing what?’ And that’s great,” he said.
“I love that, but I also hope we are pushing the other direction that one day we don’t have to talk about these firsts, that one day, this is just — listen to this — that this is the human history,” he continued.
“It’s about human history. It’s the story of humanity — not Black history, not women’s history — but that it becomes human history.”
Astronauts Jeremy Hansen, Christina Koch, Reid Wiseman and Victor Glover attend a welcome ceremony at Kennedy Space Center in Florida March 27, 2026, ahead of the Artemis II mission launch scheduled for April 1, 2026. (Miguel J. Rodriguez Carrillo/AFP)
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Clips of Glover’s comments circulated on social media, receiving reposts from conservative influencers such as podcast host Brandon Tatum, OutKick host Riley Gaines and “Officer Lew,” praising his emphasis on shared human achievement over identity-based milestones.
“I am a new fan of this man. Thank you!!” Tatum said in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
“When even pioneers reject the identity game, you know it’s time to move on,” Lew said.
Artemis II launched from the Florida coast April 1, 2026. (Credit: NASA)
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Glover’s perspective aligned with a broader theme echoed by his fellow crew members, Specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen, during the same exchange.
Koch said, “If there is something to celebrate, it’s that we are at a time when everyone gets to work equally hard to achieve that dream.”
Hansen added, “This is an acknowledgment that anybody who shows up and is able to contribute something meaningful can be part of this mission.”
Glover also spoke about the personal significance of launch day, describing a tightly scheduled routine leading up to liftoff.
From left to right, Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen and NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Hammock Koch participate in a media gathering May 17, 2023, outside the Canadian Embassy in Washington, D.C. (NASA/Keegan Barber)
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“We wake up about eight hours before launch. … There is not a lot of time for personal rituals,” he said.
“Before I fly an airplane, I generally say a very short prayer … and then I try to send my family a note to tell them that I love them.”
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As he described the final hours before liftoff, Glover emphasized how tightly structured launch day is, leaving little room for personal routines but making space for one meaningful moment with his family.
“Our families are outside the building when we walk out. … I get to tell them I love them instead of sending a text message.”
