You can spell NASA without DEI Trump White House drops diversity plan for Moon landing it created back in 2019 "Were updating our language regarding plans to send crew to the lunar surface." Eric Berger Mar 21, 2025 1:07 pm | 18 NASA names a cadre of "Artemis Astronauts" in 2020. Credit: NASA NASA names a cadre of "Artemis Astronauts" in 2020. Credit: NASA Story textSizeSmallStandardLargeWidth *StandardWideLinksStandardOrange* Subscribers only Learn moreAbout five years ago, the Trump-appointed administrator of NASA, Jim Bridenstine, revealed the name of the program that would return humans to the Moon. It was to be Artemis, from a Greek goddess who was the twin sister of Apollo.The symbolism was clear. NASAs second human program to the Moon would be different: We were going to stay this time, there would be more international partnership, and instead of being all-male, the crews would include women. Shortly thereafter, NASA began to refer to Artemis as a program that would land the "first woman" on the Moon. Soon, an additional bit of diversity was added: and the first person of color.One of the very last acts of the first Trump administration in regard to space was to name a cadre of astronauts that would fly as part of the Artemis Program. This subset of 18 people within NASAs corps of four dozen active astronauts skewed significantly more female and minority than the general corps."It is amazing to think that the next man and first woman on the Moon are among the names that we just read. The Artemis Team astronauts are the future of American space exploration, and that future is bright," then-Vice President Mike Pence said in 2020.Callie goes to the Moon, then gets memory-holedThe Biden administration embraced this vision and made few major changes to Artemis over the next four years. They leaned into the idea of flying a woman to the Moon in September 2021, when the space agency released a graphic novel titled "First Woman." This was a fictional story about a character named Callie Rodriguez and her group of diverse crewmates as they explored the Moon. The space agency released subsequent editions about their ongoing adventures."Diversity is at the core of NASAs missions and the reason we continue breaking the boundaries of whats possible," NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said in 2023. "First Woman embodies the rich history of countless women who broke barriers and continue to lead NASA to the stars."That was then. NASAs landing page for the First Woman comic series, where young readers could download or listen to the comic, no longer exists. Callie and her crew survived the airless, radiation-bathed surface of the Moon, only to be wiped out by President Trumps Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion executive order, signed two months ago.Another casualty is the "first woman" language within the Artemis Program. For years, NASA's main Artemis page, an archived version of which is linked here, included the following language: "With the Artemis campaign, NASA will land the first woman and first person of color on the Moon, using innovative technologies to explore more of the lunar surface than ever before."Artemis website changesThe current landing page for the Artemis program has excised this paragraph. It is not clear how recently the change was made. It was first noticed by British science journalist Oliver Morton.The removal is perhaps more striking than Callie's downfall since it was the first Trump administration that both created Artemis and highlighted its differences from Apollo by stating that the Artemis III lunar landing would fly the first woman and person of color to the lunar surface. How NASA's Artemis website appeared before recent changes. Credit: NASA How NASA's Artemis website appeared before recent changes. Credit: NASA For its part, NASA says it is simply complying with the White House executive order by making the changes."In keeping with the Presidents Executive Order, were updating our language regarding plans to send crew to the lunar surface as part of NASAs Artemis campaign," an agency spokesperson said. "We look forward to learning more from about the Trump Administrations plans for our agency and expanding exploration at the Moon and Mars for the benefit of all."The nominal date for the Artemis III landing is 2027, but few in the industry expect NASA to be able to hold to that date. With further delays likely, the space agency will probably not name a crew anytime soon.Eric BergerSenior Space EditorEric BergerSenior Space Editor Eric Berger is the senior space editor at Ars Technica, covering everything from astronomy to private space to NASA policy, and author of two books: Liftoff, about the rise of SpaceX; and Reentry, on the development of the Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon. A certified meteorologist, Eric lives in Houston. 18 Comments