As Artemis II carries its crew farther from Earth than any human has traveled in decades, Victor Glover chose, perhaps surprisingly, not to speak about distance or achievement, but about something much closer to home, offering a few words of advice to students who hope, one day, to make it all the way to Mars.
His message, addressed to future explorers, specifically students who want to go to Mars someday, was not technical or ambitious in the usual sense, but quietly practical, three pieces of advice that feel as relevant in a classroom or a corridor as it does on a spacecraft.
1Be resilient
"... resilience is about not just getting through challenges, but growing through them, getting better because of those challenges.”
It is the sort of distinction that most students will recognize immediately, because challenges are rarely the difficulty itself, but what to do with it. To endure is one thing; to grow from it is something else entirely, and it is often only in hindsight that the difference becomes clear.
2Be a lifelong learner
He then turned to learning, but not in the narrow sense of exams or outcomes:
"... in the classroom, outside of the classroom, on the job, at church, in your clubs, in extra-curricular activities, everything is an opportunity to learn and grow and get better.”
There is something reassuringly expansive in that idea, because it removes the pressure to get everything right in one place, and instead opens up the possibility that growth is happening all the time, often in ways that are less visible, but no less important.
3Be a good teammate
And then, almost quietly, he named something that underpins everything else:
"... whether you like or agree with people, all people deserve to have their human dignity respected. And being a good teammate is a reminder that the people on our left and right matter, and we need to be respectful of one another.”
It is a line that could easily be overlooked, and yet it is perhaps the one that resonates most widely, because whatever path a student chooses, they will not walk it alone. The ability to work with others, to disagree without dismissing, and to recognize the dignity of the person in front of you is not only a professional skill, but a deeply human one.
For Glover, human dignity is a fundamental fact, and one that must direct our actions in every moment. In his own words, he's summarized the first key principle of Catholic social doctrine!
What is striking is how little of this advice depends on becoming an astronaut.
Nothing here requires a particular talent, a specific ambition, or even a clearly defined path. It speaks just as easily to the student who is still working things out, to the one who is quietly trying to do their best, or to the one who is beginning to recognize that their gifts may take them somewhere unexpected.
Because in the end, making the most of those gifts rarely comes down to a single moment or decision, but to a way of approaching things: allowing difficulty to shape rather than discourage, remaining open to learning wherever it appears, and recognizing that how we treat others is never incidental.
In fact, his message feels less like advice for a future career, and more like a way of moving through life. And perhaps that is why it carries so well from space. Not because it is extraordinary, but because it is the reality we all live in.
