Elijah Cole, a student at Etiwanda High School, asked Pomona-born astronaut Victor Glover to name the most beautiful thing he’s seen during his time aboard the International Space Station.
Glover, 44, a 1994 graduate of Ontario High School, which along with Etiwanda High is part of the Chaffey Joint Union High School District, didn’t hesitate:
“The Earth is by far the most beautiful thing I’ve seen,” began Glover, during a live broadcast Thursday, March 18, from inside the orbiting station 254 miles above the planet. “I’ve seen it in day, at night, over clouds and to see it not on a map but with your own eyes is absolutely breathtaking.”
During the 30-minute Q&A on NASA-TV, about 25 students’ pre-recorded video questions were aired and answered by Glover and fellow space station astronaut Shannon Walker. The two enjoyed the exchange, trading a floating mic and a planet Earth beach ball. Participating students came from Pomona Unified, Ontario-Montclair, Chaffey Joint Union, Claremont Unified, Mountain View Unified, Fontana Unified and Rialto Unified school districts.
Walker continued the theme of peering at Earth from outside her window, expressing deep concern about the planet, threatened by industrialization causing global climate change and household pollution, in answering a question from Noelle de Jesus of Valley View High School in Ontario.
“I can see how fragile our Earth is,” she said. “Up here you can see smoke from fires going across to the next continent. I want to make sure we do right by our Earth.”
About 1,124 people registered to watch the live event, organized by Rep. Norma Torres, D-Pomona, as a virtual field trip for kids who for the past year during the coronavirus pandemic have had to endure remote learning and little socialization due to school closures.
“I hope it gave them an opportunity to dream big and give them a little bit of hope,” said Torres on Thursday after the event. “So many students are struggling with mental health issues, their social skills have been delayed.”
In fact, Glover was described as humble and modest by his aunt, Mia Buis, a librarian at Bon View Elementary School in Ontario, and as an example to others that everyday people — including people of color — can reach for the stars. She said her nephew didn’t celebrate when he was chosen to be an astronaut out of 6,000 candidates. Instead he simply posted the announcement on Facebook.
I spoke with @NASA Astronaut and @USNavy Commander Victor J. Glover aboard the International Space Station. @AstroVicGlover is making history as the first African American on a long-duration space mission. He is a reminder of what's possible when we dream big and think big. pic.twitter.com/DV9OXyivbD
— Vice President Kamala Harris (@VP) February 27, 2021
He doesn’t make a big deal out of the fact that from his launch into space on Nov. 17 on SpaceX Crew Dragon Capsule by the end of his mission in May, he will become the first Black astronaut to spend the longest extended stay on the ISS, she said. Also she learned that MSNBC named him one of the 23 most influential Black Americans alive today, a list that included Vice President Kamala Harris who recently spoke with Glover during Black History Month on Feb. 27.
“I don’t even know if he knew he made that list,” Buis said Wednesday.
When asked during the call if he always wanted to be an astronaut by Jason Freeman of Edison Academy, an OMSD school, Glover said “no,” and credited others for his success. “I was focused on my friends, on playing football. Being an astronaut was beyond the horizon of my own dreams. I had mentors who believed in me and I am indebted to them still for believing in me.”
Many students asked a variety of personal, everyday questions: How do you sleep? What do you do for entertainment? How do you stay fit?
Glover said he likes to float in his sleeping bag, while others in the station tether theirs to the wall.
Second-grader Everett Shoffler of Chaparral Elementary School in Claremont asked how the astronauts celebrate birthdays in space.
One of the other astronauts had a birthday and that day they decorated his piece of chocolate cake, explained Walker, who brought a small gift from Earth. When done for the day, they’ll watch a movie. “We spend time together as a group,” she said.
What will change when they get back on Earth?
Glover said in the cramped space station, everything such as eating, going to the bathroom and sleeping is a much bigger deal.
“I will take back to Earth how we collect, store, get rid of trash. How much we re-use things up here makes me more environmentally conscious,” he answered, from a question posed by Alyssa Bernal of Colony High School in Ontario.
Glover enjoys reaching out to Americans on Twitter @AstroVicGlover and through arranged TV media, as well as special events with students and VIPs. In May, Buis will be there to welcome him home.
“We will tell him how very proud we are of him. And give him big hugs,” she said.