VOA: “So Victor, inform me what it is wish to kind of be right here proper now on this second?”
NASA ASTRONAUT VICTOR GLOVER: “It is unreal. I imply it sounds slightly cliche however to be on the place the place the Apollo missions launched from all these shuttle launches occurred from, and I really launched from that subsequent door neighbor launch pad proper there just below two years in the past. However it’s nonetheless surreal to be right here. That is considered one of my favourite locations on the planet, and that is simply any day of the week, however when there is a massive rocket like SLS or Orion sitting over there, it is simply the excitement right here, the power. It is actually particular. And my favourite half about that is the thrill of all of the NASA workers who’ve labored onerous for years to make this occur.”
VOA: “What’s that pleasure like? What’s it [excitement level] at proper now? I imply, you were not born when Apollo was taking place so I am certain there’s actually nothing to equate this to, is there?”
GLOVER: “Effectively, I imply you realize, rising up and appreciating Apollo and having that being a motivational power in your life, it is actually neat to, like, stand on the precipice of perhaps the subsequent factor like that taking place understanding it. We name issues moonshots when people do nice issues, proper? And so our technology does not have that, so we glance again at Apollo for that inspiration. So now our technology goes to have its personal moon pictures. And in order that’s, I feel, part of it for all of us. And I like the truth that it is linked. The legacy of Apollo and Apollo–Soyuz and the shuttle and ISS and our partnerships with SpaceX and Boeing. Individuals say it is a marathon not a dash. I say it is really a relay race. And so these packages have all knowledgeable what we’re doing now. They’ve handed us the stick, and now it is time for us to run our greatest leg. And so that is going to open the door for us to ship people to the moon. And I imply I simply, it is onerous to think about something extra thrilling for individuals everywhere in the world.”
VOA: “However this mission can be not simply charting new paths in house, it is also kind of crossing historic limitations in gender, race, ethnicity, tradition. Are you able to discuss {that a} bit?”
GLOVER: “Effectively in fact you realize you heard the road it initially was we’ll ship the primary lady and the subsequent man to the moon. After which it turned you realize we’ll ship the primary lady and the primary particular person of coloration to the moon. And I will say here is what I take into consideration that. Our workplace is various sufficient, we characterize America. And due to that, we make our bosses’ jobs really difficult, we make his job onerous as a result of he is obtained to select a few of us and I feel all of us are prepared skilled and able to making this mission a hit, however then I feel the truth that our management acknowledges the previous and the way perhaps it wasn’t equitable, that we will do one thing about that now within the astronaut workplace that we now have in the present day appears like America. So it is simple to do. However the truth that our management acknowledges that they’ve a task in it as properly to be sure that it occurs and to assist and encourage the continued dialogue about that I feel is de facto essential. So it’s encouraging, and I feel all individuals ought to really feel supported by this effort.”
VOA: “Victor, while you sit again and you concentrate on this, does the fact that you could be be somebody who charts some type of historic milestone for humanity, is it one thing that seeps into your thoughts typically when you’re going by coaching or when you’re speaking to the media? Or when you’re doing this or does it have a particular place in your thoughts to organize for this?”
GLOVER: “You already know, there was plenty of discuss that from my mission to ISS and I did not give attention to that. I saved my head down and simply did the work. And so however once more, I do assume it is essential you realize, there are little children on the market that look as much as us and say I wish to try this. However extra essential is that inspiration drives selections, proper? It drives habits. And so some little child’s going, ‘I wish to be like that and I’ll research this and I’ll eat my greens and I’ll be an excellent particular person.’ And that to me is efficacious. It doesn’t matter what these children appear like, individuals maintain asking me, is it significant to you that little Black children look as much as you and say they wish to be such as you? You already know what? Let’s be sincere, I characterize America. I am a naval officer and I work for NASA. I characterize America and little white children, little Mexican children, little Hispanic children, and little Iranian children comply with what we’re doing as a result of that is perhaps one of the vital recognizable symbols within the universe. And I feel that that is actually essential and I take that very severely.”
VOA: “What’s the most difficult a part of the job forward for you?”
GLOVER: “Essentially the most difficult a part of this job for me is the time away from my household. However you realize what? I am a member of a gaggle that’s serving the individuals, proper? That is the individuals’s stuff. That rocket was constructed by the American individuals, actually. … [W]hat we do is significant to America and to humanity at massive and so I feel it is essential for us to discover house, to discover the cosmos for all individuals, particularly now once we can do it by all individuals.”
VOA: “Is there something you are able to do mentally to organize for a mission to the moon? I imply, no one in this system proper now has ever been there earlier than. There is not like relative expertise you may go to until you are speaking to an Apollo astronaut to assist put together you for what it is going to be like to succeed in the floor of the moon. How do you prepare and the way do you do that as a result of it’s not been executed in 50 years?”
GLOVER: “There’s going to be an incredible coaching program. We have an incredible staff of individuals which are serious about the right way to prepare astronauts for this mission. One of many major issues all astronauts must do although is combine all of that after which take it into house and know the way house is completely different than what you do on the bottom. There’s going to all the time be that regardless of the place you go decrease earth orbit or past, on the moon or on to Mars. However I feel personally, I am slightly bit extra of a philosophical astronaut I might say and I feel it is essential for us additionally to acknowledge while you go do one thing like this, to not simply know there are unknowns however to embrace it. You aren’t ready, you are not as ready as you could be for those who do not count on one thing to catch you off guard. And so understanding that it is going to occur, you are going to have the ability to course of these feelings sooner and as a substitute of going, ‘Oh my God is that this actually taking place?’ You are going to go, ‘Yeah God, thanks for the preparation’ and you are going to do the subsequent proper factor. And so understanding that you will a spot not many human beings have been, I feel is a crucial a part of making ready for one thing like flying Artemis II or Artemis III to the moon.”
VOA: “Do you assume most people is invested, educated and enthusiastic about this mission as they could have been for Apollo?”
GLOVER: “[H]opefully the general public is following that carefully to know this isn’t a stroll within the park. There’s quite a bit about this mission that would go incorrect, and that is going to assist us to ship individuals again to the moon. And so I feel a part of that falls on us to do this advocacy.”
VOA: “You may be on this stage on Monday for Artemis I broadcasting for NASA to speak concerning the mission from an astronaut perspective. However when this rocket goes up, Orion is on its method to the moon and no one’s right here on the stage anymore. What are you looking forward to as that mission progresses?”
GLOVER: “Oh, the whole lot. How the staff works collectively. That is an enormous one. We’ve got not flown a mission like this in complexity, in distance, and likewise the worldwide element of it in a really very long time, in some elements ever. The Worldwide Area Station could be very worldwide, however having your astronauts solely 4 or six hours away from the planet could be very completely different than a number of day journey to the moon or again. And so how they work collectively and the way they convey and the way they resolve and act to deal with issues is one thing that I’ll be paying shut consideration to. If the whole lot goes completely on this, really that to me wouldn’t be the most effective case. I need us to have some challenges that we work collectively and overcome in order that we all know we will try this, however then come again. And when that warmth defend hits the ambiance going Mach 32, twenty-five thousand miles [40,000 km] an hour or seven miles [11 km] a second, we’ll study all that we have to know. And if we will maintain the construction and the avionics and the crew inside secure, then I feel we’re properly on our manner a few years from now having a crew going to the moon as properly.”
VOA: “You are a army aviator…”
GLOVER: “Sure, sir.”
VOA: “This shall be automated. That is going to be extra automated than every other spacecraft in historical past. You already know, in Apollo, that they had switches and knobs. Right here, individuals on the bottom shall be controlling plenty of the flight maneuvers within the path of the spacecraft. As any individual who has that background, how do you’re feeling about that automation?”
GLOVER: “[T]there are regimes of flight the place we will have full handbook management and there are regimes of flight the place we might have a blended, some sharing between handbook inputs and automation. And so there is a scale, a variety of sharing of that accountability. And I feel that that is the state of the apply, proper? The cutting-edge is perhaps in the future going to be, who is aware of, it is managed by ideas and folk on the bottom however that is the state of the apply. And so, software program has gotten a lot better. {Hardware} has gotten an entire lot higher, our manufacturing functionality, and so I feel that is progress. And sure, as any individual who likes to have a stick and throttle, you realize, I wish to go up there and do aileron rolls within the factor, however the maneuvers it is going to do are so difficult that for me to have handbook management all through the complete regime of flight really provides threat that that we aren’t essentially making an attempt to purchase off on. So we would like handbook management the place it actually issues, issues like docking, issues like touchdown on the floor, and enduring entry to be sure that we now have the flexibility to steer to a secure location to get us again all the way down to Earth secure.”
VOA: “How do you gauge mission success for Artemis I as you are watching this mission unfold over the subsequent six weeks?”
GLOVER: “Yeah, it has been a protracted street getting right here and we now have overcome some important challenges. … It’s no small factor that we nonetheless have a moon succesful rocket and spacecraft by a few of the modifications that we have had within the final decade. And so the truth that we have overcome these issues makes me essentially the most assured on this group of individuals. Human arms put that collectively. Human arms and minds and hearts and ears and eyes are going to be watching it and dealing it because it goes on this 42-day journey. And so I am assured in that staff and we’ll see how the {hardware} and software program maintain up. It is an unknown, we have not executed this earlier than. This would be the first time plenty of this {hardware} is flying, however you observed there are some legacy on the market. In the event you can see it within the distance, that orange tank is similar to the shuttle primary gas tanks and people boosters are similar to shuttle strong rocket boosters. And so there’s some heritage in our house flight {hardware}. However that is the primary time it has been built-in into this stack-up. And so we’ll study, we’ll study. However I’ve full confidence in that staff.”
VOA: “Figuring out the place you are at now, understanding what you might need the chance to do, what would you say to 12-year-old Victor Glover?”
GLOVER: “Oh wow. Oh boy. That is an incredible query. Twelve-year-old Victor Glover did not even know if faculty was a actuality, you realize, and simply, nobody in my household had graduated from faculty, and so there’s quite a bit to this iceberg, and I will prevent the lengthy story and I will simply reply your query. What I might say to 12-year-old me is, ‘It may be OK. It may be OK. You are going to be OK, however it is going to be OK as a result of you are going to work so onerous.’ And so, that is what I might say to myself. You already know, this may deal with itself. Getting so far and the amazingness of this, the awe of all of it, it’ll deal with itself. You already know, I would not spoil the shock.”
VOA: “Victor, man or individuals haven’t landed on the moon in our lifetime. That is about to alter. Do you assume we are going to get to Mars in our lifetime?”
GLOVER: “Oh, I feel we are going to get to Mars in our lifetime. I stated it a short time in the past. This can be a relay race. The journey to Mars has been 25 years away since we went to the moon again within the Apollo program. That is the primary leg of the race to Mars. And so it has been 25 years forward of us as a result of we have not began the race. When that is profitable, we may have completed the primary leg of that race, and we’ll be that a lot nearer. I feel it’ll occur in our lifetime. I feel I could also be too outdated to be on that crew, however to all these children on the market, be your greatest self. Hearken to your mother and pop, say please and thanks and eat your greens and train, as a result of these younger children are going to be the people who have an opportunity to place toes on Mars.”
