I'm Flying Around the Moon!

When Victor Glover was 10 years old, his backyard was his favorite place to be at night. He’d stare at the bright glow of the moon and spot shapes in its craters. He also watched rocket launches on TV and imagined what life was like for the astronauts inside. “That was what helped me understand what it meant to be a hero,” he says. 

As an adult, Glover joined the military and trained to become a pilot. When he heard a NASA astronaut speak at a conference, he realized many of his skills matched hers. He applied to become an astronaut. It took two tries, but in 2013 he was accepted!

In 2018, Glover flew a spacecraft to the International Space Station, where he lived and worked for 168 days. Now he’s training for a mission called Artemis II. Planned for sometime in 2026, Glover will pilot a spacecraft, called Orion, in a loop around the moon. He and his three crewmates will be the first humans to fly near the moon in more than 50 years! Glover spoke with SuperSTEM about what it takes to become an astronaut and his upcoming mission.

Victor Glover had a favorite place to be at night when he was 10 years old. It was his backyard. He’d stare at the bright glow of the moon. He’d spot shapes in its craters. He also watched rocket launches on TV. He’d imagine what life was like for the astronauts inside. “That was what helped me understand what it meant to be a hero,” he says.

Glover joined the military as an adult. He trained to become a pilot. Then he heard a NASA astronaut talk at a meeting. He realized many of his skills matched hers. He applied to become an astronaut. It took two tries. But in 2013 he was accepted!

Glover flew a spacecraft to the International Space Station in 2018. He lived and worked there for 168 days. Now he’s training for a mission called Artemis II. It’s planned for 2026. Glover will pilot a spacecraft. It’s called Orion. It will loop around the moon. He’ll have three crewmates.  They’ll be the first people to fly near the moon in more than 50 years! Glover spoke with SuperSTEM about what it takes to be an astronaut and his upcoming mission.

First you must meet some basic requirements. NASA astronauts have either a medical degree or a master’s degree in a STEM field such as computer science or engineering, and have some experience in that field. They also have to pass a physical test, which checks your eyesight, hearing, and overall health.

A lot of people can meet those basic requirements. Thousands apply, but only a handful get selected. To stand out, you need to be a strong leader and work well with a team. It’s important to be reliable and treat the people around you well.

There are some basic things you need. NASA astronauts have either a medical degree or a master’s degree in a STEM field. For example, computer science or engineering. And they need to have done some work in that field. They also must pass a physical test. It checks your eyesight, hearing, and overall health.

Thousands of people apply. But only a handful get picked. You need to be a strong leader to stand out. And you need to work well with a team. It’s important to be reliable and treat the people around you well.

The Apollo 11 astronauts brought rocks back from the moon. We’re still making discoveries about those same rocks, 50 years later.

Sending humans back to the moon is going to give us even more tools to study it. The Apollo missions only covered a small area about the size of Houston, Texas. The goal of the Artemis missions is to explore new areas, especially the poles. NASA scientists think there might be ice there. If that’s true, chemicals from thousands or millions of years ago could be frozen inside. That could tell us more about the history of the moon, which also helps us learn about the history of Earth.

The Apollo 11 astronauts brought rocks back from the moon. It’s been 50 years since then. We’re still making discoveries about those same rocks.

Now we’re sending humans back to the moon. We’ll have even more tools to study it. The Apollo missions only covered a small area. It was about the size of Houston, Texas. The goal of the Artemis missions is to explore new areas of the moon. That includes the poles. NASA scientists think there might be ice there. Chemicals from thousands or millions of years ago could be frozen inside if that’s true. That could tell us more about the history of the moon. And it also helps us learn about the history of Earth.