One of NASA’s most valuable assets is a Southern Californian.

Following the space agency’s successful Artemis II mission around the moon last month, Victor Glover — who grew up primarily in the Inland Empire and has spent much of his career at Southern California’s many military and aerospace hubs — is now the only pilot to have flown NASA’s Orion capsule.

As the crew finishes its international victory lap before the media, Glover is preparing to put his head down and get to work training the Artemis generation of moon-faring astronauts.

“I think Artemis is going to demand us to change the paradigm,” he told The Times.

The International Space Station, which has been continuously inhabited by a revolving crew of astronauts in low Earth orbit for over 25 years, has a “very well-worn” training program, he said. But developing a new instructional regimen for complex high-stakes moon missions as the agency tries to aggressively ramp up Artemis launches from once every 3 1/2 years to every six months is a different beast.

“Until we get really ramped up and have a solid training program, I think astronauts need to take more ownership of the training and be involved so we can share this experience,” Glover said.

As of today, the list of Artemis astronauts is only four people long. And the list of Artemis pilots has only one name: Victor Glover.

Glover, 50, was born in Pomona, graduated from Ontario High School and lived “all over” Southern California’s urban sprawl, including Baldwin Village (which he instinctively referred to by its pre-1988 name, “The Jungle”). He completed his undergraduate studies at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and received graduate degrees (plural) from the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey and the Air Force Test Pilot School at Edwards Air Force Base.

He cut his teeth as a test pilot at Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, in the Mojave. After NASA selected him as an astronaut, he learned to fly SpaceX’s Dragon capsule at the company’s then-headquarters in Hawthorne before riding it to the ISS.

Glover particularly misses those test pilot days, when he was pushing the limits of the F/A-18 Hornet and Super Hornet in China Lake while completing a master’s degree on the side.

“That was actually maybe one of the best times of my career. We had our fourth daughter while we lived in China Lake,” he said. “I was … working really hard but having a ton of fun at a house full of kids.”

In one of Glover’s favorite pictures, snapped by his wife, he is sitting at his desk in his tan desert flight suit, focused on graduate school work while holding one of his daughters.

Glover sees himself as just one example of how the Golden State’s deserts and coastal cities have left a lasting mark on America’s space program.

“Southern California is very uniquely postured to help NASA,” Glover said. “Southern California has the combination of culture and technology — and it doesn’t hurt to have Hollywood” to help share NASA’s mission and values.

(Glover fondly recalled his joy seeing the “Iron Man” production crew, including actor and rapper Terrence Howard, roll through Edwards Air Force Base during his tenure.)

Glover, who now lives in Texas near NASA’s Johnson Space Center, is focused on bringing that SoCal sensibility and invaluable experience piloting the Orion capsule to the agency’s astronaut training program.

When asked if he hopes to fly again on an Artemis mission, he gave a simple answer: “No.”

There was one other thing on his to-do list, though.

“Tell L.A. I love them and all of Southern California — and I can’t wait to get back out there and visit my home state and my hometown.”

As nearly 300,000 fans prepare to arrive in Los Angeles for the men’s World Cup soccer championship in mid-June, the international soccer federation is coming under fire for what climate scientists and advocates are calling the most polluting World Cup in history.

This year’s event is being held in 16 stadiums across three giant countries: Canada, the U.S. and Mexico.

That’s despite the fact that climate change is worsening, the risk of playing in dangerous heat is rising and the federation, FIFA, has a commitment to reduce its carbon emissions 50% by 2030.

“It’s the sheer amount of travel involved in this tournament,” said Freddie Daley, a researcher at the University of Sussex.

Even more than the geography, this year’s event also includes 60% more games than in the past; FIFA expanded the number of teams from 32 to 48, so some 5 million fans will be traveling from around the world to watch.

“The expanded tournament, twinned with its geographical span, means that it’s by far the most emissions-intensive World Cup that we’ve ever seen,” Daley said.

Jet exhaust is a major contributor to climate change, 3% to 4% of all warming, and air travel is usually the biggest contributor to carbon emissions from major sporting events.

The most dedicated and affluent fans will be flying longer distances than ever before to follow their teams around during the games.

Eight games will be played in SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, beginning with the U.S. men’s national team’s opening match on June 12 and ending with a quarterfinal July 10.

Los Angeles World Airports spokesperson Brian Denney estimates 290,000 visitors will come through LAX, about 40% from outside the United States. Because of the worldwide decline in travel due to fuel prices, however, commercial flights into LAX will net about the same as this time last year.

Daley, a campaigner with the Cool Down Sport for Climate Action Network, calculated the emissions projected for the World Cup with researchers from Scientists for Global Responsibility and the Environmental Defense Fund.

They found that the 2026 games will generate over 9 million tons of carbon dioxide, about double the average for the last four World Cups — 4.7 million tons. A million tons is the equivalent emissions of about 220,000 cars on U.S. roads for a year.

FIFA spokesperson Jhamie Chin said FIFA “acknowledges that air travel is a significant contributor to the overall footprint of any major event, and that managing emissions linked to flights remains one of the most complex sustainability challenges for event organizers.”

He said FIFA “welcomes informed scrutiny” but did not respond to a question about how the group plans to achieve its climate goals if World Cups are getting more carbon intensive.

The games in 2030 will span multiple countries, too, but much smaller ones: Spain, Portugal and Morocco, with opening games in Uruguay, Paraguay and Argentina. They’ll emit 6.1 million tons of CO2 — less than this year’s games but still more than World Cups past.

The 2034 World Cup in Saudi Arabia will take place in a more geographically compact area, but the country plans to build 11 new stadiums, whereas this year’s World Cup will only use existing ones. Stadium construction is another leading cause of mega sporting event emissions, so using only existing venues, as Paris mostly did for the last Olympics, is one main way event hosts can address climate change.

The Saudi plans will drive the 2034 event’s pollution up to 8.6 million tons of CO2, based on conservative estimates.

Private charter jet companies hawk World Cup packages online to fly fans all over the continent, but most won’t be able to pursue this kind of travel.

Jose M. Hernandez, a 67-year-old soccer fan, lives in Culver City and has attended the past eight World Cups, always dressed as the Catholic saint Juan Diego. He normally follows the Mexico national team, but with World Cup prices he’s less particular.

“I follow other teams because I like to meet people from different countries, experience different teams,” he said. “It’s really fun.”

For the World Cups in Russia in 2018 and Brazil in 2014, Hernandez flew to games in different cities to get a flavor for different parts of the host countries.

He said he’ll make the high costs this year work by staying with family and friends for games in Monterrey, Guadalajara and Mexico City, where he’s originally from. He’s also catching the Iran vs. New Zealand game in his hometown, Los Angeles. But many of his friends and fellow fans won’t be so lucky.

“Three different countries is really hard for us, especially people who want to follow their own teams,” Hernandez said. “Fans come from Argentina, Brazil, France and have to travel all across the country, and north and south. I don’t know who is going to do that.”

This isn’t the first time the World Cup has come under fire for its climate claims. In 2022, the group Carbon Market Watch and five other nonprofits challenged claims that the World Cup in Qatar would be “carbon neutral.” A Swiss advertising regulator found FIFA to be in breach of federal law.

Purple lights illuminate the field at Dallas Stadium (temporarily renamed from AT&T Stadium for the 2026 FIFA World Cup) to promote grass growth in Arlington, Texas, on Thursday.

(Ronaldo Schemidt / AFP via Getty Images)

For this year’s games, FIFA is no longer making those claims, but it’s still promising to lower emissions 50% by 2030 in line with the Paris Agreement, and to eventually reach a net zero climate impact by 2040.

Chin, the FIFA spokesperson, pointed to this year’s use of existing stadiums and FIFA’s environmental strategy, which lists reducing food waste, prioritizing clean technologies and promoting public transport, but without specific targets.

Climate advocates say that doesn’t cut it.

“They have shifted their communications, but at the same time, this World Cup is an expanded event,” said Gavin Mair, a spokesperson for Carbon Market Watch. “It’s not a very credible suggestion to say that they’re aligned in any way with the Paris Agreement.”

Climate watchers concede scaling back the games is a difficult discussion.

An aerial view shows Estadio Akron, a venue for the FIFA World Cup 2026, in Guadalajara, Mexico, on Feb. 26.

(Felix Marquez / For The Times)

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“An expanded tournament means that more teams that have never been able to take part get to play for the first time,” Daley said. “This is a wonderful thing.”

Still, he added, “if they are serious about driving down emissions, then that has to be part of the conversation.”

His group’s report does recommend reducing the number of teams. He also recommends FIFA drop high-polluting sponsors and prioritize host countries with existing clean transportation to shuttle fans between games.

Soccer fans in L.A. won’t be able to hop on a high-speed rail for games in Houston or Seattle, like they might to get between cities in parts of Europe or Asia, for example.

Metro is touting the expansion of the D line and a special World Cup bus service with about 300 buses and 15 routes to get fans to SoFi Stadium.

Mayor Karen Bass “is encouraging all fans to take public transportation, including through the enhanced Metro service that will be available throughout the World Cup,” said a spokesperson for her office. “This will reduce carbon emissions and encourage an enjoyable experience for all.”

Kaiser Permanente is still trying to determine the source of bacteria responsible for 19 recent cases of Legionella infection identified at a hospital in the San Francisco Bay Area.

The 19 infections were linked to Kaiser’s medical center in Santa Clara. Most of those who fell sick are recovering at home, Kaiser said in a recent statement.

The bacteria were identified through “robust routine internal monitoring processes,” according to Kaiser.

“Our medical center is a safe place to visit and receive care,” the health system said.

Kaiser did not specify how ill those infected are, nor did they say specifically how the bacteria were detected.

Infection can occur when Legionella — which appears naturally in environments such as lakes and streams — gets into building water systems and people breathe in mist containing the bacteria, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The bacteria grow best in warm temperatures, between 77 and 113 degrees.

The disease does not spread from person to person.

The most severe form of Legionella bacteria infection leads to Legionnaires’ disease, a serious and potentially deadly type of pneumonia, the CDC says. Legionnaires is treatable with antibiotics, but early treatment improves the odds of recovery.

A milder form of Legionella infection called Pontiac fever can also cause aches and headaches.

Legionella can grow and spread in devices such as hot tubs, cooling towers, hot water tanks, complex plumbing systems, showerheads, sink faucets and decorative fountains, according to the California Department of Public Health. Most people who are exposed to Legionella don’t get sick, but the bacteria can cause serious infections in some cases.

“While we work to determine the source, out of an abundance of caution, last week we concluded additional water treatment measures and preventive measures to ensure the safety of all patients, employees, and visitors,” Kaiser said in its statement. “As a result of mitigation efforts, our hospital and medical office building continue to operate normally. “

About 1 in 10 people who get Legionnaires’ disease die due to complications from their illness, the CDC said. For those who contract it during a stay at a healthcare facility, about 1 of every 4 are expected to die.

Legionnaires’ disease was discovered in 1976 after a major outbreak affecting attendees of a convention of the American Legion in Philadelphia, according to the CDC. The outbreak led to 221 illnesses across Pennsylvania, and 34 deaths.

Investigators eventually suspected that the bacteria were airborne and had infected people after contaminating the air conditioning system at the convention hotel.

“Since 1976, air conditioning systems changed and agencies around the world have more stringent cleaning and hygiene standards for cooling towers and large-scale air-conditioning systems,” the CDC says.

Other ways facility managers can reduce the risk of Legionella include disinfecting cooling towers and water systems, establishing a water management program and routinely performing water system maintenance.

Legionnaires’ disease has been on the rise since the early 2000s, according to the CDC.

In 2024, seven cases of Legionnaires’ were reported in the northwestern corner of the city of Westminster, according to the Orange County Health Care Agency. No source was ever found for that outbreak, “as is so often the case,” the agency said last week.

When two people died after visiting a day spa in Richmond in 2023, Contra Costa County health officials found high levels of Legionella bacteria in the spa, and located two other guests who had lab-confirmed Legionnaires’ disease. Contra Costa County health officials said the hot tub at the day spa didn’t have a permit, and had never been inspected by health officials.

And in 2022, health investigators uncovered the likely source of 17 Legionella infections in Napa County — all of whom either lived, worked or had visited downtown Napa. Sixteen people had to be hospitalized, with 10 needing intensive care, and one person died, according to the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Investigators found high levels of Legionella bacteria in a cooling tower at what was then the Embassy Suites Napa Valley on California Boulevard, Napa County health officials said. None of the cases were guests of the hotel.

According to the MMWR, investigators said the cooling tower had malfunctioned, leading to either very little or no injection of chemicals that would prevent bacterial growth.

The report noted that cooling towers can spread Legionella bacteria over a wide area, with people living within 0.6 miles from a tower at highest risk of infection.

“Cooling towers without a comprehensive water management program or lacking routine maintenance are associated with an increased risk for Legionella colonization,” the report said.

Cooling towers were also the culprit in a large Legionnaires’ disease outbreak in New York City last year, which was linked to 114 cases, 90 hospitalizations and seven deaths. Legionella bacteria that genetically matched specimens in patients was found in cooling towers at Harlem Hospital and a nearby construction site, according to the city.

The CDC in 2024 also reported on outbreaks of Legionnaires’ disease aboard two cruise ships. Investigators found a previously unidentified source of the bacteria: “hot tubs located on private balconies, which have become more common as new ships enter service” and “are subject to less stringent operating requirements” than public hot tubs.

“Hot tubs can be a source of Legionella growth and transmission when they are inadequately maintained and operated,” the CDC said.

Times librarian Cary Schneider contributed to this report.