Longest distance phone call between ISS astronaut and VP Kamala Harris
It was last week’s longest distance phone call, with International Space Station Astronaut Victor Glover welcoming VP Kamala Harris for a virtual chat in honor of U.S. Black History Month.
In the video recorded Feb. 24 and shared by NASA on Saturday Feb. 28, the long-distance phone call ranged from the legacy of human spaceflight to observing Earth from the vantage of the space station, Glover’s history-making stay aboard the orbiting laboratory, and preparing for missions from the Moon to Mars, according to a press statement from NASA.
Victor Glover is a long-duration crew member on the International Space Station. He served as the Crew Dragon pilot and second-in-command for NASA’s SpaceX Crew-1 mission. Glover is responsible for spacecraft systems and performance.
Glover is a multitalented astronaut, holding several degrees and having served as military aviator after his graduation from the U.S. Naval Academy.
Selected as an astronaut in 2013, the California native holds a Bachelor of Science degree in general engineering from California Polytechnic State University, a Master of Science degree in flight test engineering and a master’s degree military operational art and science from Air University, and a Master of Science degree in systems engineering from Naval Postgraduate School.
Glover is a naval aviator and was a test pilot in the F/A‐18 Hornet, Super Hornet, and EA‐18G Growler aircraft.
For more than 20 years, humans have lived and worked continuously aboard the International Space Station, advancing scientific knowledge, and demonstrating new technologies, making research breakthroughs not possible on Earth, NASA said.
As a global endeavor, 242 people from 19 countries have visited the unique microgravity laboratory that has hosted more than 3,000 research and educational investigations from researchers in 108 countries and areas.
The ISS remains the springboard to America’s Moon to Mars exploration approach, including Artemis missions to the Moon to prepare for human exploration of the Red Planet.
Its main links to earth for crew delivery is the SpaceX Dragon and the Russian Soyuz rocket. Also, frequent robot craft arrive with food, science experiments and technology upgrades.