NASA Astronaut Victor Glover Talks Moon Mission
NASA astronaut and Cal Poly alum Victor Glover told a crowd of nearly 1,300 university community members last month how his education served as the launching pad for his successes, including the recent Artemis II lunar mission that saw Glover and three other astronauts make history with the first circumlunar flyby in half a century. Glover graduated with an engineering degree in 1999.
Glover’s presentation, “Mustangs to the Moon and Back,” included a brief talk about his career up to and including Artemis II followed by a Q-and-A covering topics such as the chemistry and teamwork of the mission’s crew; maintaining physical and mental health in space; how seeing the Earth from afar affected him; and, of course, what advice Glover has for current students and recent graduates just embarking on their careers.
“We all spend a lot of time thinking about making the right choice — what major, what class. Then there’s a time to just commit,” Glover told the crowd when asked what advice he would give his younger self at Cal Poly. “We all have a point where the decision is made, now you’ve got to step out in faith and go all-in and give it your best. If you’re going to sweat the decision, that means it’s important. Now, sweat the actions once you’ve made the decision.”
Glover and fellow astronauts Reid Wiseman, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen traveled further from Earth than any other humans in history — 252,756 miles. In the process, as their Orion spacecraft circled the moon, they joined an exclusive club of less than 30 humans who have ever witnessed the far side of the moon firsthand.
When asked to share a particularly impactful moment from the journey, Glover showed a stunning mission photo showing the moon’s dark side as it eclipsed the sun and the Earth, haloed in light that the crew determined to be earthshine — the Earth reflecting sunlight onto the moon.
“I lost it; my brain divided by zero,” Glover told the crowd. “There is only one little slice of the universe where you could see this, at this moment. It was just such a miracle to experience.
“Going to space has made me sift through other experiences. There is all this wonder and magic in the universe — and sometimes we’re just moving too fast and we’re too busy and have too many things in the way to know it’s there. There are so many other things right here on this rock that we live on — and actually, the fact that we live on this rock is a miracle. This kind of stuff happens to us all the time, and we just need to be quiet on the inside and observe it and listen.”
Chumash Heritage Garden Opens
The San Luis Obispo Botanical Garden (SLOBG), in collaboration with the yak titʸu titʸu yak tiłhini Northern Chumash Tribe (ytt) and Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E), has opened the Chumash Heritage Garden — known in the Chumash language as yaktititʸu qspiłhimu, the Place of the Root People. The opening marks a milestone in a multi-year effort to honor Chumash history and share Indigenous knowledge of native plants with the broader community.
“This new space in San Luis Obispo County is dedicated to Chumash culture and the traditional uses of native plants,” SLOBG officials said in a new release. “The two-acre garden features more than 40 California native species selected for their significance to the Chumash people such as such as white sage, elderberry, yucca, and milkweed. Interpretive signage throughout uses both English and Chumash-language names — a deliberate reflection of the ytt’s active work to preserve and revitalize their language, which, like the plants here, represents knowledge passed down across generations and worth protecting. Visitors are invited to enter with curiosity and respect.”
The project was made possible by funding from PG&E and hundreds of community volunteer hours.
String Quartet Performances at Libraries
Five County of San Luis Obispo Public Libraries locations will offer free string quartet performances featuring students from top U.S. music schools.
The Festival Mozaic Young Artists series kicks off Thursday, July 16, with a 10 a.m. performance at the Atascadero Library, followed by a 2 p.m. performance at the Shandon Library. Two performances on Friday, July 17, are at the Nipomo Library at 10 a.m. and the Los Osos Library (community center) at 2 p.m. The mini-concert series wraps up at the San Luis Obispo Library on Saturday, July 18, at 10 a.m.
The free library events are sponsored by the San Luis Obispo County Library Foundation.
“We are thrilled to partner again with SLO County Libraries and the SLO County Library Foundation to present these fine young musicians,” said Scott Yoo, music director for Festival Mozaic. “The Young Artist Mini-Concerts are a fantastic way to introduce families and children to the world of classical music, and for community members at large to experience performances of a very high caliber right in their neighborhood.”
Festival Mozaic hosts a two-week summer Music & Arts Festival of more than 30 events throughout San Luis Obispo County. The Young Artists program will culminate in a full-length Community Concert on July 19 at the Harold J. Miossi CPAC, in which the Young Artists will be joined in performance by their mentors Scott Yoo and Bion Tsang.
For more information about the Young Artists program and the Festival, go to www.FestivalMozaic.org. To see County of SLO Public Libraries events, hours, and locations, go to www.slolibrary.org.
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