NASA website axes a pledge to land a woman and a person of color on the moon

Nearly four years ago, NASA announced that its Artemis III mission would include a lot of firsts: it would be the first to land on the moon since the end of the Apollo era, the first to touch down near the moon’s rugged south pole and the first to put both a woman and a person of color on the lunar surface.

But in deference to President Trump’s anti-diversity, equity and inclusion directive, the space agency has removed language about the diverse composition of the crew from some webpages.

On one page originally published in 2023, NASA proclaimed that it would “land the first woman, first person of color, and first international partner astronaut on the Moon using innovative technologies to explore more of the lunar surface than ever before.” Now, however, the language has been expunged.

According to the Wayback Machine, a digital library that tracks changes to internet sites, the edit occurred on March 16 and was first reported days later by the Orlando Sentinel.

As of Tuesday, however, another webpage about the mission — which has been delayed and is now slated to land no earlier than mid-2027 — still reads: “For the benefit of all humanity, NASA and its partners will land the first woman and first person of color on the surface of the Moon with Artemis.”

In a statement sent to media, the space agency said: “In accordance with an Executive Order signed by President Trump, NASA is updating its language to better reflect the core mission of the Artemis campaign: returning astronauts to the lunar surface. NASA remains committed to aligning with White House guidance and ensuring mission success.”

While the Artemis III crew has yet to be announced, a NASA spokesman was quoted by Space.com as saying, “It is important to note that the change in language does not indicate a change in crew assignments.”

NASA has not responded to NPR’s request for comment.

In 2022, the uncrewed Artemis I mission successfully orbited the Moon, but the Orion capsule, designed to carry astronauts, encountered issues with its heat shielding, leading to further delays in the program. Artemis II, the first crewed mission, set for next year, won’t involve a landing but will transport four astronauts around the moon.

That crew includes African American astronaut Victor Glover, a former U.S. Navy F-18 pilot with prior experience aboard the International Space Station. Also joining the mission is Christina Koch, a Mission Specialist who holds the record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman — 328 days. Reid Wiseman will serve as the mission commander, and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen, a space rookie, completes the crew.