NASA astronaut Victor Glover Jr. will travel farther into space than any Black person before him when he pilots the Artemis II lunar mission in 2024.

But he's already embarked on a personal mission that hits closer to home on Earth.

He wants to take his fellow Americans to school and guide them deep into the nation's psyche, to help them reflect on the paradox of a nation that has a track record of oppressing Black people sending him on a trailblazing trip around the moon.

Because of that legacy of racism, Glover says it's his duty to impress upon people that his voyage will represent more than a scientific triumph.

During a conversation over Zoom about the beauty of space flight and the contradictions of American life, the 47-year-old Pomona, California, native says he recommends to audiences at his public speeches and his co-workers at NASA a choice set of reading, listening and viewing materials.

He starts with the U.S. Constitution, whose words resound with the false promise of equality that has led to so much racial upheaval.

The International Space Station rolled out the welcome mat Monday for two Saudi visitors, including the kingdom's first female astronaut.

SpaceX's chartered flight arrived at the orbiting lab less than 16 hours after blasting off from Florida. The four guests will spend just over a week there, before returning to Earth in their capsule.