February 19, 20254 min readTrumps DEI Purge Is Hitting NASA HardSpace scientists within NASA and outside it feel betrayed by the Trump administrations changes at the agency, which was known for promoting inclusion in scienceBy Alexandra Witze & Nature magazine NASAs diverse astronaut corps was an example of the agencys support for diversity and inclusion. NASA/James BlairIn the corridors of NASA buildings across the United States, Pride flags and pictures celebrating women in science are being taken down. Scientists are adding space-mission stickers to their laptops to cover ones that displayed rainbows and other symbols of LGBT+ support. Employees are stripping pronouns from their e-mail signatures and holding darkly humorous conversations in which they try to avoid saying any pronouns at all.These and other changes are rippling through NASA, which is purging programmes involving diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) throughout the agency. The directive to do so came from US President Donald Trump, who on 20 January issued an order to eliminate DEI initiatives across the federal government.I get a sinking feeling in my stomach when I have to check my [work] e-mail, says an early-career NASA scientist, who asked to remain anonymous because of concerns about their career prospects. Every time I reload it, its like, oh god, will there be some new heinous missive in there?On supporting science journalismIf you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.Nature spoke to scientists inside and outside NASA about the impacts of its DEI changes and heard anger, fear and confusion. Although the orders affect all federal agencies, they are keenly felt at NASA, which has a long history of working towards inclusivity. In 2020, Trump appointee Jim Bridenstine, then head of NASA, added inclusion to the agencys list of core values, joining safety, integrity, teamwork and excellence. That fifth value has now been removed from many NASA websites.How do you go from something being so important that its a pillar [of the agency], to being so reviled that its off of everything? asks Julie Rathbun, a planetary scientist at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York.It feels like a betrayal by NASA, says Kas Knicely, a planetary geophysicist at the University of Alaska in Fairbanks. Its inefficient, its wasteful, and its also just messed up.In a statement, NASA said the agency is committed to engaging the best talent to drive innovation and achieve our mission for the benefit of all. As new guidance comes in, were working to adhere to new requirements in a timely manner.A changed agencyNASAs push towards inclusivity is one of the most visible in the US government. In the 1950s and 1960s, all of the agencys astronauts were white men. By 1978, it had bowed to internal and external pressure and had chosen several women and people of colour to fly to space. Today, NASAs astronauts, as well as its world-renowned scientific and engineering teams, are measurably diverse.But signs of NASAs efforts to make space for everyone are disappearing. These removals have been triggered both by official edicts such as the requirement to remove pronouns from employees e-mail signatures and by unofficial notices, such as verbal suggestions to remove flags or other displays from workspaces.Trumps changes have also halted projects by employee affinity organizations ― groups ranging from military veterans, to Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, to Black employees. Before 20 January, NASA celebrated these groups efforts with many glowing, now-deleted web articles.The work these groups did was wholesome and good for the agency things like, discussing how do we publish data in a way that works with screen readers, so people with visual disabilities can get at our content, says a senior NASA scientist, who requested anonymity to avoid possible reprisals. Or bringing Star Trek legends in to inspire the workforce. Pausing the work of these groups promotes fear, the scientist says, because employees worry that they might be targeted for participating.Other cancellations include a programme that paired undergraduates from underrepresented groups with active planetary missions, giving the students a chance to observe scientists at work.Many NASA employees are angry about the changes to DEI, but are buckling down to work nevertheless. We believe in the mission, and we know that our work is important, says the senior scientist. We know that it matters for the nation.Grassroots protestAs federal workers, NASA employees cant push back against the changes, no matter how much they personally support DEI efforts, says Knicely, who co-chairs a community working group on best practices for DEI at NASA. But space scientists outside NASA are voicing their frustration with the agencys rejection of years of progress towards a more diverse community. Several of them wrote an open letter to NASA leadership on 6 February protesting the changes, which has garnered more than 1,000 signatures.Many of those scientists have been working with NASA for years on DEI issues. For example, researchers have been studying the DEI practices that improve science, and have been working with NASA to integrate those approaches into its funding programmes. These include a system for anonymous review of proposals to use facilities such as the Hubble Space Telescope a change that reduces gender and other biases and requiring inclusion plans in agency-funded research grants, which raises awareness of barriers to participation.For NASA to ignore what many scientists have shown for years confuses the hell out of me, says Rathbun.Alienation and determinationViewed broadly, the cuts basically say that Indigenous peoples, underrepresented peoples, even women dont really belong there at NASA, says Hilding Neilson, an astronomer at the Memorial University of Newfoundland in St Johns, Canada and a Mi'kmaw person. Thats a horrible and shameful thing that is going to set NASA back decades, if not longer.Some researchers inside and outside the agency are doubling down on their scientific and technical projects while living according to their values as best they can.You can take down the websites and you can tell people not to put their pronouns in their emails, but that doesnt mean theyre not going to use the right pronouns for their colleagues, says Sarah Hrst, a planetary scientist at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland.Others are feeling alienated by the agencys actions. For the early-career scientist, the uproar is a huge distraction from their work: Can I be allowed to focus on my science, please?This article is reproduced with permission and was first published on February 14, 2025.