The new U.S. administration under President-elect Donald Trump continues to “purge” federal resources of references to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). A new episode in this campaign has touched off NASA’s ambitious lunar program – promises to land the first woman and the first person of color on the Moon have disappeared from official materials.
From ambition to political editorials
The Artemis III mission, planned as the first lunar landing since 1972, was originally intended to be a symbol of progress. Under Trump, the emphasis was on female participation, and later even added the goal of including the first African-American on the lunar crew. However, any mention of these goals has now been removed from NASA’s pages.
British journalist Oliver Morton was the first to notice the editing, which may be related to the decree to eliminate DEI programs in state agencies. A NASA spokesperson confirmed to The Guardian, “We are exploring the moon for scientific discovery, technology advancement, and to learn how to live and work on another world as we prepare for human missions to Mars.”
Interesting nuance: does the Trump administration know that the name Artemis comes from the Greek goddess of the female deity Artemis?
Change of priorities
At this time, the final crew of Artemis III is still to be announced. However, removing references to DEI does not guarantee that the mission will not include an African-American and a woman, but it does call into question the agency’s priorities. As social media ironically noted, it could be a “tribute” to Gil Scott-Heron’s poem “Whitey on the Moon,” a satire on racial inequality during the 1960s space race.
Unforeseen consequences
The Artemis II mission, scheduled for 2026, has not been affected by the changes yet. The crew consists of three NASA astronauts – Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch – and Canadian Jeremy Hansen. But political tensions between the U.S. and Canada have some experts questioning whether Hansen will remain in the crew.
The nominal start date for Artemis III remains 2027. However, there is little expectation in the industry that NASA will be able to keep to that date: Starship continues to explode, and the political influence and active fight over saving money altogether could delay the mission indefinitely, at least under a Trump presidency.
Earlier we reported on how Donald Trump ordered the closure of three key NASA departments.
According to arstechnica.com
