'Living My 92 Years Through Victor': First Black Astronaut Candidate Ed Dwight Reflects On Moon Mission

Last Updated:April 01, 2026, 19:26 IST

Victor Glover will become the first Black astronaut on a lunar mission with Artemis II, fulfilling the dream of his mentor Ed Dwight, a 1960s Black astronaut candidate.

As the world holds its breath for the Artemis II launch (humanity’s first crewed mission to the Moon in over half a century), Victor Glover is set to become the first Black astronaut to embark on a lunar voyage. He was a student of veteran astronaut candidate Ed Dwight who himself never received an opportunity for spaceflight.

Ed Dwight And Victor Glover

Dwight became the first Black astronaut candidate in the 1960s when he was selected during early astronaut training efforts. With Glover preparing for the Artemis II mission, the 92-year-old veteran astronaut said Glover’s mission feels deeply personal and meaningful.

“I have a personal attachment and affiliation with Victor, because I met him when he was 15 years old, and we had a program where we were trying to encourage young Black candidates to go to pilot training and to get into flying," Dwight told AFP while recalling Glover’s training years.

Also Read: NASA Artemis II Launch: Why Astronauts Won’t Land On The Moon This Time

“And never in a thousand years did I ever think that Victor would take it to heart and take it to the Moon, which is what he’s done," he said. “I’m really living my old 92 years through Victor — I’m really proud."

Glover, Dwight said, will “be up here in in the Neil Armstrong territory of people of great accomplishments."

“He’s done it all, and they can’t take that away from him."

Racist Backlash During Civil Rights Era

In 1961, when the US was facing civil rights movement Ed Dwight was serving as a pilot in the US Air Force.

According to AFP, he was invited to join a training programme that would set him up to become the nation’s first Black astronaut.

He further said that it wasn’t until later in his career that he understood that President John F Kennedy wanted to garner Black votes.

“It was proposed to him that if he were to appoint a Black astronaut, it would ensure him the Black vote," he said, adding that the move sparked fierce backlash.

“The people who make astronauts fought it and said ‘This guy will last about six weeks’," Dwight recalled. “It was so crazy, all the stuff that I went through and had to face, all that criticism that Black people were too ignorant and ill-equipped. I ended up ranked higher in the class than 10 white guys."

News world 'Living My 92 Years Through Victor': First Black Astronaut Candidate Ed Dwight Reflects On Moon Mission

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