Meet the Crew of Artemis II
The California native earned an undergraduate engineering degree as a two sport athlete, while serving his community. Glover is a Naval Aviator and was a test pilot in the F/A‐18 Hornet, Super Hornet and EA‐18G Growler. He and his family have been stationed in many locations in the United States and Japan and he has deployed in combat and peacetime.
Personal
Born in Pomona, California. Married to the former Dionna Odom of Berkeley, California. They have four children. His mother lives in southern California, and his father and stepmother live in Prosper, Texas.
Education
Graduated from Ontario High School, Ontario, California, 1994. Bachelor of Science in General Engineering, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, California, 1999. Master of Science in Flight Test Engineering (USAF TPS), Air University, Edwards Air Force Base, California, 2007. Master of Science in Systems Engineering (PD‐21), Naval Postgraduate School, 2009. Master of Military Operational Art and Science, Air University, Montgomery, Alabama, 2010.
Experience
Following commissioning, Glover began preflight training in Pensacola, Florida, and completed his advanced flight training in Kingsville, Texas, earning his wings of gold on December 14, 2001. In 2002, Glover reported to the Marine Fleet Replacement Squadron, VMFAT‐101, in Miramar, California.
n 2003, after completing the F/A‐18C syllabus, he was assigned to the Blue Blasters of Strike Fighter Squadron VFA‐34 in Oceana, Virginia. With the Blue Blasters, he completed the final deployment of the USS John F. Kennedy (CV‐67) in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. While deployed, he completed a Space Systems Certificate from the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS).
Glover was then selected as the United States Navy’s exchange pilot to attend the Air Force Test Pilot School. During the one‐year experimental test piloting course, he flew more than 30 aircraft in the U.S. and Italy. On June 9, 2007, he was designated a test pilot. Glover then served as a test pilot with the Dust Devils of Air Test and Evaluation Squadron VX‐31 in China Lake, California, testing various weapons systems on the F/A ‐ 18 Hornet, Super Hornet and EA‐18G Growler.
In his off‐duty hours, he earned a Master of Science degree in Systems Engineering via NPS in Monterey, California. In 2009, Glover received orders to the Air Command and Staff College at Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama. Following graduation, Glover reported to the Dambusters of Strike Fighter Squadron VFA‐195, in Atsugi, Japan, where he served as a Department Head. With the Dambusters, he deployed three times to various locations in the Pacific Ocean.
In 2012, Glover was selected for the Legislative Fellowship. He reported to the Office of Legislative Affairs in Washington, D.C., and was assigned to the office of a U.S. Senator. While in Washington D.C., he completed a Certificate in Legislative Studies at Georgetown University. Glover was a Legislative Fellow in the U.S. Senate when selected as an astronaut candidate.
Glover accumulated 3,500 flight hours in more than 40 aircraft, over 400 carrier arrested landings and 24 combat missions.
NASA Experience
Glover was selected in 2013 as one of eight members of the 21st NASA astronaut class. After completing Astronaut Candidate Training in 2015, he served as a space station capsule communicator (CapCom), Expedition 52 Increment Lead Crewmember, Operations Officer, and Family Escort for several Soyuz and Crew Dragon launches – one of the most challenging and rewarding jobs of an astronaut.
In 2018, Glover was assigned to his first spaceflight mission, as Crew-1 Pilot, the first post-certification mission of SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft – the second crewed flight for that vehicle – and as an Expedition 64/65 Flight Engineer aboard the International Space Station. Glover spent 168 days (Nov. 16, 2020 to May 2, 2021) in space, completing 4 spacewalks, and several scientific, maintenance, and outreach activities.
Post-flight, Glover served as the Human Landing Systems crew representative, and in a supervisory role as the Astronaut Office, Assigned Crew Branch Chief.
In 2023, Glover was assigned as Artemis II Pilot. He will be one of four astronauts on the first mission to the Moon in more than 50 years on NASA’s path to establishing a long-term presence for science and exploration. The approximately 10-day flight will test NASA’s foundational human deep space exploration capabilities, the SLS rocket, Exploration Ground Systems, and the Orion spacecraft.
Christina Koch, Mission Specialist
Christina Koch is an explorer and engineer who became astronaut in 2013. She is currently training for NASA’s Artemis II mission, planned to go around the moon next year. Her previous experience in spaceflight was living and working on the International Space Station for almost all of 2019 in Expeditions 59, 60, and 61. For this mission, she flew on the Russian Soyuz rocket and trained extensively in Russia. Christina spent a total of 328 consecutive days in space and participated in the first all-female spacewalks. After this spaceflight and before being assigned to Artemis II, she served as Branch Chief of the Assigned Crew Branch in the Astronaut Office and did a rotation as Assistant for Technical Integration for the Center Director at NASA’s Johnson Space Center.
Prior to becoming an astronaut, Christina’s experience spanned both space science mission instrument development and remote scientific field engineering in the Antarctic and Arctic. Her hobbies include surfing, rock and ice climbing, programming, community service, triathalons, yoga, backpacking, woodworking, photography and travel.
Summary
Christina Hammock Koch [pronunciation: “Cook”] was selected as a NASA astronaut in 2013. She served as flight engineer on the International Space Station (ISS) for Expedition 59, 60 and 61. Koch set a record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman with a total of 328 days in space and participated in the first all-female spacewalk. She has been assigned as Mission Specialist I of NASA’s Artemis II mission.
Personal
Koch is a native of Grand Rapids, Michigan, grew up in Jacksonville, North Carolina and resided in Livingston, Montana when she was selected to join the Astronaut Corps. Growing up spending summers on her family’s farm in Michigan, she was instilled with a passion for hard work and challenges. Her hobbies include surfing, rock climbing, community service, running, yoga, backpacking, photography and travel.
Education
Koch attended North Carolina State University in Raleigh, North Carolina, where she earned Bachelor of Science degrees in electrical engineering and physics and a Master of Science degree in electrical engineering and studied abroad at the University of Ghana. She attended high school at the North Carolina School of Science and Math in Durham, North Carolina and White Oak High School in Jacksonville, North Carolina. She later received an Honorary PhD from North Carolina State University.
Experience
Koch’s experience prior to becoming an Astronaut spanned both space science instrument development and remote scientific field engineering. Her career began as an Electrical Engineer at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) where she contributed to instruments on several NASA space science missions.
Koch then became a Research Associate in the United States Antarctic Program which included a yearlong stay with a winter-over at the Admunsen-Scott South Pole Station and season at Palmer Station. While in this role, she served as a member of the Firefighting and Search and Rescue Teams.
Koch returned to space science instrument development as an Electrical Engineer at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory’s Space Department, where she contributed to instruments on missions including Juno and the Van Allen Probes. Koch then returned to remote scientific field work with tours at Palmer Station in Antarctica and Summit Station in Greenland.
Next, joining the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, she continued work at remote scientific bases, serving as a Field Engineer in Utqiagvik, Alaska and as Station Chief of the American Samoa Observatory. Throughout her career, she has done technical instructing, volunteer tutoring and educational outreach.
NASA Experience
Koch participated in the NASA Academy program in 2001 and worked as an Electrical Engineer at GSFC early in her career. She was selected in 2013 as one of eight members of the 21st NASA astronaut class and completed Astronaut Candidate training in 2015. In 2018, she was assigned to her first space flight, a long duration mission on the ISS. After her spaceflight, Koch served as Branch Chief of the Assigned Crew Branch in the Astronaut Office. She then went on a rotation as Assistant for Technical Integration for the Center Director at NASA’s Johnson Space Center. Koch is currently training for NASA’s Artemis II mission.
Space Flight Experience
Koch launched on March 14, 2019 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome on the Soyuz MS-12 spacecraft with Roscosmos Cosmonaut Alexey Ovchinin and NASA Astronaut Nick Hague. She returned to Earth on February 6, 2020 on the MS-13 Soyuz spacecraft with Roscosmos Cosmonaut Alexander Skvortsov and European Space Agency (ESA) Astronaut Luca Parmitano.
Serving as a Flight Engineer on the ISS for Expeditions 59, 60 and 61, she and her crewmates contributed to hundreds of experiments in many kinds of science and technology development. Some of the scientific highlights from her missions include doing robotics for upgrades to the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer, growing protein crystals for pharmaceutical research, and testing 3D biological printers in microgravity.
Koch conducted six spacewalks, including the first three all women spacewalks, totaling 42 hours and 15 minutes. She has spent a total of 328 days in space.
