NASA scrubs promise to land first woman, first person of colour on the moon from web pages
U.S. President Donald Trump’s campaign to remove diversity efforts and language from government organizations has extended to NASA’s Artemis program, which aimed to land the first woman and first person of color on the moon. References to these goals have been recently removed from NASA’s website, in compliance with executive orders issued by Trump.
The Artemis program, which was launched five years ago, originally promised to land the first woman, first person of color, and first international partner astronaut on the lunar surface. However, recent changes to the website have erased these commitments. Despite this, some pages still mention the goal of landing the first woman and first person of color on the moon.
NASA confirmed that the removal of diversity language was a result of Trump’s executive orders against diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. The agency stated that the changes in language did not affect crew assignments for the Artemis missions.
The revisions to the website follow a trend of companies and government organizations eliminating DEI programs and censoring language that celebrates diversity. Trump’s anti-DEI campaign has led to the removal of references to transgender and gender diverse people from various platforms.
In addition to NASA, other organizations like the Pentagon have also faced backlash for deleting pages that highlight contributions from marginalized groups. NASA was reportedly instructed to close offices associated with DEI and accessibility in late January.
The Artemis program, named after the twin sister of Apollo, aims to return astronauts to the moon for the first time since 1972. While the original timeline for landing on the moon has been delayed, NASA remains committed to the mission.
The crew for Artemis II, which is set to orbit the moon next year, includes NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, as well as Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen. The program represents a significant step towards diversity and inclusion in space exploration.
