NASA has created a new category for its astronaut corps, and the commander and pilot of the Artemis II mission are the first to hold it. Five months after their return from a journey around the Moon, Reid Wiseman and Victor Glover have become the space agency’s first astronaut emeriti, a status that allows them to keep supporting work at the Johnson Space Center in Houston without fully departing.
The emeritus programme enables both astronauts to train and mentor the current workforce while remaining free to pursue employment and opportunities outside the agency. Technically classed as a retirement scheme, it has traditionally been used for scientists who wish to return to academia to teach, research and publish after completing significant work.
What the emeritus role involves
Glover has accepted a full-time administrative leadership position at his alma mater, California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly) in San Luis Obispo, where he will help shape the institution’s long-term strategies. At the same time, he has committed to remain available to NASA, passing on his knowledge of the Orion spacecraft and its systems to future Artemis missions.
He explained that emeriti can either be paid or provide their service without compensation, and he has chosen the latter. In that voluntary capacity he intends to act as an adviser and consultant, offering insight into what living aboard Orion is like. Glover will be issued an access badge and plans to attend training simulation runs.
He also hopes to help establish a new initiative, the United States Space Academy, which would serve both NASA and the US Space Force. He described the timing as ideal, citing his interest in building the future of technical workforce leaders.
Wiseman similarly plans to use his emeritus status to continue sharing his spaceflight experience with his now-former colleagues ahead of Artemis III, currently targeted for no earlier than mid-2027. That mission will test Orion’s rendezvous and docking capabilities with commercial human landing systems in low-Earth orbit. Wiseman handed the baton to Artemis III commander Randy Bresnik at the Johnson Space Center on 9 June 2026.
A new space between active and former
Astronauts wishing to join private industry, run for public office or return to military service have historically retired from NASA. Those who wanted to remain at the agency but were no longer eligible for a flight assignment, whether temporarily or permanently, were categorised as management astronauts.
There have been earlier exceptions to the standard arrangements. Mercury astronaut Scott Carpenter took a leave from NASA to become an aquanaut, living on the ocean floor in the Navy’s SEALAB II from August to September 1965 before returning to the space agency. The emeritus category now formalises a middle ground between active service and full retirement, beginning with the Artemis II commander and pilot.
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Image: arstechnica.com
