The NASA website dropped a reference to landing the first women on the moon as part of the Artemis program’s goals.
The page updated as of Friday for the programme said, “NASA will land first international partner astronauts for first women, first women and first international partner astronauts to explore more lunar surfaces than ever before using innovative technology.”
The change comes as the Trump administration used executive orders to remove diversity, equity and inclusion pages from all federal websites.
NASA sent the first woman to the moon and came under Trump’s first presidency.
“In line with the President’s executive order, we are updating the language regarding plans to send crews to the moon as part of NASA’s Artemis campaign,” reads a statement from NASA emailed to Sentinel. “We look forward to learning more about the Trump administration’s plans for our institutions for all our benefits and expanding our exploration on the Moon and Mars.”
The Artemis page states, “Artemis III is built on flight tests of the crew’s Artemis II, adding new capabilities to human landing systems and advanced space suits, sending the first humans to explore the Antarctic region of the Moon.”
The Artemis program successfully launched a flight to the Irregular Month in 2022, with the first crew Artemis II scheduled for April 2026.
Its crew flies around but doesn’t land on the moon, but the first woman (NASA astronaut Christina Koch), the first man (NASA astronaut Victor Glover), and the first international partner (Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen), riding alongside Nasa’s commander, Raidwiseman, are characterized by groundbreaking demographics.
The first moon landing since the 17 Apollos in 1972 was assigned to Artemis III, and its crew has not been announced. The target for that landing is on NASA’s calendar for the summer of 2027.
At one point, Trump’s NASA administrator Jim Bridensten, during his first term, said he wouldn’t be surprised if the mission’s Landing Party featured all the female crew.
NASA has made the declaration that NASA will participate in the future Artemis Mission after President Biden’s election as to whether the person is part of Artemis III or part of the subsequent lunar landings.
NASA defended decisions about astronauts and was never “strangled”
Of the 24 astronauts who traveled on the moon, 12 of them were actually walking along the surface, so they were all white.
NASA has already undergone changes under Trump’s orders, including the removal of diversity offices and equal opportunity.
Although links to DEI-related programs are no longer available, the agency has several statements on its career page regarding “inclusion.”
“NASA explores the unknown in the air and space, innovates for the good of mankind, and inspires the world through discovery. We share a set of core values, including safety, integrity, inclusion, teamwork, and excellence.
However, it has changed from the previous language, and read, “We are committed to adopting a wonderful mind from every background and experience to shape the future.”
Nor was this statement. “Innovation thrives in a culture of inclusion where different perspectives come together to tackle complex challenges, creating an environment where all voices are heard and respected will ensure that employees are offered the fullest potential.
There was also a NASA page dedicated to a graphic novel in 2021 titled “First Woman: NASA’s Promise for Humanity,” but it can be downloaded as an app as of Friday on both Android and iOS.
The 40-page novel features the fictional character Curry, from Little Havana and has a black mother and Hispanic father.
“Through this graphic novel, NASA aims to inspire the next generation of explorers, Artemis generation,” the original press release for the novel said.
“Curry’s story captures the way that passion, dedication and perseverance allows us to turn our dreams into reality,” said Pam Melloi, NASA assistant administrator. “Like me, Curry has developed her skills, seized learning opportunities and overcome the challenges of becoming a NASA astronaut. Her diversity is reflected in today’s legions of astronauts.
Original issue: March 21, 2025, 2:52pm EDT
