It looks like one small step for man, and one giant leap for the Black community has just been taken.
According to a news release, NASA’s Victor Glover will be the first Black man to go to the moon.
The historic announcement was made by NASA and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), detailing that four astronauts will venture around the Moon on Artemis II, the first crewed mission on NASA’s path to establishing a long-term presence at the Moon for science and exploration through Artemis.
“The Artemis II crew represents thousands of people working tirelessly to bring us to the stars,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson.”This is their crew, this is our crew, this is humanity’s crew. NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Hammock Koch, and CSA astronaut Jeremy Hansen, each has their own story, but, together, they represent our creed: E pluribus unum – out of many, one. Together, we are ushering in a new era of exploration for a new generation of star sailors and dreamers – the Artemis Generation.”
Although Glover is the first Black man to go to the moon, others paved the way for diversity is aeronautics.
Bernard Harris Jr., for instance, helped create a more equitable path forward for Black people at NASA. In 1995, Harris became the first African American person to walk in space.
“I was inspired when I saw Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed,” Harris said. “I said, ‘I want to do that.’”
Now, Glover is following in his footsteps.
“For the first time in more than 50 years, these individuals – the Artemis II crew – will be the first humans to fly to the vicinity of the Moon,” said Director Vanessa Wyche, NASA Johnson. “Among the crew are the first woman, first person of color, and first Canadian on a lunar mission, and all four astronauts will represent the best of humanity as they explore for the benefit of all,” “This mission paves the way for the expansion of human deep space exploration and presents new opportunities for scientific discoveries, commercial, industry and academic partnerships and the Artemis Generation.”