U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris made a cosmic name to the Worldwide House Station final week to have fun the milestone spaceflight of NASA astronaut Victor Glover in orbit.
The decision, which NASA and the White Home released on YouTube Saturday (Feb. 27), got here amid Black Historical past Month, as Glover is halfway by way of a six-month flight to the area station. He’s the first Black astronaut to fly a long-duration mission to the station.
“Victor, it’s so nice to see you,” an excited Harris stated within the Three-minute video. “The history-making you’re doing, we’re so happy with you.”
Associated: Astronaut Victor Glover explains why we can’t always just stick to space
Glover, 44, launched to the space station in November alongside three different astronauts as a part of SpaceX’s Crew-1 mission for NASA. He’s a part of the station’s seven-person Expedition 64 crew and is making his first spaceflight since becoming a member of NASA’s astronaut corps in 2013.
Harris, who’s the primary girl and girl of colour elected as vp, requested Glover what he thought of his personal achievement as the primary African-American astronaut to fly a long-duration mission to the area station. The astronaut stated his flight was solely potential due to the astronauts and cosmonauts who got here earlier than him to deliver humanity to its present level in area exploration.
On April 12, the world will mark 60 years of human spaceflight. The primary particular person to fly in area, Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, launched on that day in 1961.
“I actually recognize that legacy and I attempt to do my greatest to honor it,” Glover stated. “I take into consideration proper now, it’s a time that we should always have fun and be appreciative of the present state of human spaceflight.”
“However actually what I am most enthusiastic about is the way forward for human spaceflight and the truth that that is going to be the longer term, that is what we will do for the foreseeable future,” Glover added. “So yeah, that was a primary. but it surely will not be the one time that that is occurred.”
Harris agreed.
“My mom would say to me, ‘Kamala, chances are you’ll be the primary to do many issues, however be sure you’re not the final,'” she stated.
Harris requested Glover about his recent spacewalks on Jan. 27 and Feb. 1 (he took one other one as we speak, Feb. 28) to improve the Worldwide House Station, in addition to how his view of Earth from area permits a glimpse on the challenges of our planet.
“It’s only a spectacular factor to see from right here, and it’s totally apparent to see from up right here how skinny our environment is, simply how particular it’s for there to be human life on this planet,” Glover stated of the view. “And so, it makes me wish to do all that I can to guard that.”
“You inspiring us and also you reminding us of what’s potential after we dream huge and after we assume huge,” Harris stated.
E-mail Tariq Malik at tmalik@area.com or observe him @tariqjmalik. Observe us @Spacedotcom, Fb and Instagram.
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