Naia Butler-Craig: Black astronaut inspires millions with Artemis mission

At 12 years old, Naia Butler-Craig decided she wanted to be an astronaut. Each time she walked into St. ​Mark AME Church in Orlando, Florida, and saw the framed photo of Mae Jemison, the first Black woman to travel into space, she knew ‌space was her ultimate goal.

About 16 years later as a NASA aerospace engineer with a PhD in the same field, she shook the hand of Victor Glover, the first Black man who would pilot a spacecraft around the moon, and told him she was following in his footsteps.

“Most people worry about making the right choice,” Butler-Craig recalled Glover’s response on January 17. “Make the choice right.”

Almost three months later, Glover launched ​into space, becoming one of four people to travel farther from Earth than any human being in history as part of NASA’s Artemis II mission around the moon.

For Butler-Craig, it ​was an affirmation that her path, and the aspirations for millions of Black Americans who were once denied access to the highest echelons ⁠of academic and human achievement because of the color of their skin, are possible.

“To see him live all of those facets of identity at the same time when that’s ​exactly the tension and the constant dichotomies I’m facing is incredibly validating,” she said of Glover. “It just makes me feel like he’s paved the exact road for someone like me.”

THE SKY ​IS NOT THE LIMIT

As President Donald Trump’s administration works to dismantle diversity, equity and inclusion programs across government and the private sector, Glover’s historic flight has sparked an outpouring of support across social media. Many cited its symbolic power and historical weight in a long arc of Black achievement in aviation and space exploration — and proof that not even the sky is the limit.

“It’s a source of pride and joy because ​when you look at aerospace and space exploration, yes, we have some representation, but we don’t have enough representation,” said Tennesse Garvey, a United Airlines Boeing 777 pilot.

Garvey chairs ​the board of directors of the Organization of Black Aerospace Professionals, a nonprofit group that has trained and encouraged minorities to pursue careers in aerospace and aviation since 1976. Two of Glover’s daughters attended ‌the organization’s ⁠first week-long space academy program in Houston when they were younger, Garvey said.

“It’s really inspirational to many other young children that are actually dreaming that dream,” he said.

Glover is among 20 Black astronauts selected by NASA since its first class of seven Mercury astronauts was announced in 1959, representing roughly 6% of all astronauts the agency has chosen.

FIRST OF FIRSTS

Even before Glover’s lunar trip, he had spent nearly five and a half months in orbit, beginning in 2020 as pilot of NASA’s Crew-1 flight, the first operational International Space Station mission using ​SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule.

Before joining NASA, he ​flew more than 40 aircraft during a ⁠U.S. Navy career, including combat deployments in Iraq. In his career, he accumulated roughly 3,000 flight hours and completed over 400 aircraft carrier landings and 24 combat missions.

But even as the first among firsts, Glover, prior to the Artemis launch, said, “I also hope that we ​are pushing the other direction, that one day we don’t have to talk about these firsts.”

Glover follows the legacy of earlier ​Black aviators like Lieutenant Colonel ⁠John William Mosley Jr., a member of the storied Tuskegee Airmen, a segregated military unit that helped pave the way for Black Americans in U.S. military aviation.

“We’re all standing on the shoulders of the previous generation,” said William Eric Mosley, John’s son and a former United Airlines pilot. “In my case, and I believe also in Captain Glover’s case, he would believe the same.”

Glover and ⁠his crew ​splashed down on Friday in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego, completing a mission that ​paves the way for the first crewed moon landing since 1972 planned for 2028, and beyond.

While awaiting the crew’s safe return to Earth, Butler-Craig said she would be reciting the Bible verse tattooed on her arm from ​James 1:12.

“Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because having stood the test, they will receive the crown of life.”