Dare to Explore: A Live Conversation
On Wednesday, April 14 at 1:15 p.m. PDT the Cal Poly community tuned in to a live conversation with Cmdr. Victor J. Glover and Lacey Davis (Aerospace Engineering, ’20). Tune in now to explore what Learn by Doing looks like in zero gravity, and how Cal Poly helped shape Glover’s path to NASA — and beyond!
Mission Complete
Cmdr. Victor J. Glover, Jr. has arrived safely back on Earth after a successful and historic mission aboard the International Space Station. The SpaceX Crew Dragon splashed into the gulf off the coast of Florida at 2:58 a.m. on May 2.
Glover will now begin training as one of 18 members of the Artemis Team, a group of NASA astronauts chosen to help pave the way for a woman and man to walk on the lunar surface in 2024 and eventually prepare humanity for a trip to Mars.
About Cmdr. Victor J. Glover, Jr
General Engineering, B.S., 1999
Cmdr. Glover graduated with a degree in general engineering in 1999. He was selected as a NASA astronaut in 2013 while serving as a legislative fellow in the United States Senate. The California native holds a Master of Science in flight test engineering, a Master of Science in systems engineering and a Master of Military Operational Art and Science.
About the Mission
NASA’s SpaceX Crew-1 mission will be the first crew rotational flight of a U.S. commercial spacecraft with astronauts to the International Space Station.
Cmdr. Glover and NASA astronauts Shannon Walker, Michael Hopkins, and Soichi Noguchi of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) joined NASA Flight Engineer Kate Rubins, Expedition 64 Commander Sergey Ryzhikov and Flight Engineer Sergey Kud-Sverchkov of Roscosmos and will spend six months aboard the station conducting research.
Learn more about their mission and hear more from the crew at their first press conference held on Nov. 19., including a few shout outs to Victor and his Cal Poly connections!
Cal Poly Alumni in space
Cmdr. Victor J. Glover, Jr. is the fourth Cal Poly alumnus to travel to space as a NASA astronaut over the past 35 years. Robert “Hoot” Gibson, Frederick “CJ” Sturckow, and Gregory Chamitoff made history of their own on missions spanning major milestones in crewed space flight, from the early years of the Space Shuttle program, to the construction of the International Space Station, to the partnership with SpaceX to launch the Crew Dragon.
Lessons in Learn by Doing
Cmdr. Glover’s path to becoming an astronaut was shaped, in part, by his education and experiences as a student at Cal Poly in the 1990s. For Cmdr. Glover, Cal Poly was an unexpected but serendipitous change of pace from Southern California.
“I showed up maybe a little kicking and screaming,” Cmdr. Glover laughs. “But by the time I finished and got to know the community and the town of San Luis Obispo, I also left kicking and screaming.”
Read more about Cmdr. Glover's journey from the Cal Poly wrestling team, to student advocacy - and even how he met his wife - in Cal Poly Magazine.
Victor Glover: Space Walk
Watch astronauts Victor Glover and Michael Hopkins of NASA venture outside the International Space Station on Jan. 27. The spacewalk took place about 7 a.m. EST and lasted for approximately six and a half hours.
In the video Glover is extravehicular crew member 2 (EV 2) wearing a spacesuit with no stripes. This was the third spacewalk in Hopkins’ career, and the first for Glover.
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Cal Poly engineers are curious problem solvers, creative thinkers and, above all, hands-on doers. Our alumni have made an extraordinary impact on science and society, in industry and in service to humanity.
Mission: learn by doing
On Nov. 15, 2020 Cmdr. Victor J. Glover, Jr. (General Engineering, '99) launched into space as the pilot of the SpaceX Crew Dragon. Glover, a Cal Poly-trained engineer, active-duty Navy aviator and NASA astronaut, will spend six months aboard the International Space Station.
In celebration of this momentous occasion, faculty and students from the College of Engineering participated in All Systems Go: A Pre-Launch Virtual Panel Discussion.