Key Takeaways
- Reid Wiseman, the Artemis II Commander, and Victor Glover are leaving NASA’s active astronaut corps.
- Both will remain involved as emeritus astronauts, mentoring NASA workers.
- Glover joins Cal Poly while Wiseman’s future plans remain undisclosed.
NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman and Victor Glover, who led the Artemis II moonshot around the moon in April, are leaving active spaceflight while continuing to support future lunar missions.
Wiseman And Glover Step Away From Spaceflight
NASA announced Wednesday that Wiseman, the Artemis II commander, and Glover, the mission’s pilot, are retiring from active astronaut duty and becoming emeritus astronauts. The two will continue supporting NASA’s moon exploration program by training and mentoring agency workers and sharing experience from their historic mission.
Artemis II carried Wiseman, Glover, Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen and NASA astronaut Christina Koch around the moon in April. The mission marked the first crewed journey around the moon in more than 50 years and set a new distance record for human spaceflight.
Hansen retired from the Canadian Space Agency in July, leaving Koch as the only Artemis II crew member still serving as an active astronaut.
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman praised the two astronauts for their role in the mission and their decision to continue contributing to the agency.
“Together, they took on one of the most challenging missions in human spaceflight and helped return America to the lunar environment,” Isaacman said in a statement. “I’m grateful they will continue sharing what they learned.”
Glover Turns To Teaching And Mentoring
Glover, alongside Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman, is taking a leadership position at California Polytechnic State University, his alma mater, where he will help develop long-term strategies and encourage students to pursue science and engineering.
His new position in San Luis Obispo began Sept. 1, the same day he retired from the Navy. Three of his four daughters are currently enrolled at Cal Poly, while his oldest has graduated from the university.
In an interview with The Associated Press, Glover said leaving the active astronaut corps is not a retreat from NASA or space exploration.
“This is not a leaving … for me, this is opening the aperture, not closing it down,” Glover said.
He said he wants to devote more time to young people and his family rather than wait for another opportunity to command a lunar landing mission. He also plans to continue discussing how faith and science intersect with his life while supporting NASA from outside the agency.
Glover’s career includes serving as a Navy test pilot before NASA selected him as an astronaut in 2013. He later piloted SpaceX’s second crewed flight for NASA, spending nearly six months aboard the International Space Station in 2020 and 2021.
Wiseman Leaves After Long NASA Career
Wiseman’s change in status takes effect this month. NASA selected the retired Navy captain as an astronaut in 2009, and he later became the Artemis II Commander after spending more than five months aboard the International Space Station in 2014 before becoming NASA’s chief astronaut.
Wiseman also became a prominent voice during Artemis II. From lunar orbit, he described Earth as an oasis in the vastness of space and emphasized humanity’s shared place in the universe.
He and the crew also asked NASA for permission to name one of the moon’s craters after his late wife, Carroll, who died of cancer in 2020.
The Artemis II Commander and crew received the Congressional Space Medal of Honor last month during a ceremony at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.
As emeritus astronauts, Wiseman and Glover will donate their time to NASA, giving the agency a way to retain knowledge from one of its most significant recent crewed missions.
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