Perhaps there won't be a woman walking on the moon after all. NASA's pledge to put the first woman and first person of color on the lunar surface with its Artemis III mission has vanished from NASA webpages "in deference to President Trump's anti-diversity, equity and inclusion directive," NPR reports. In keeping with Trump's executive order to end DEI programs, "we're updating our language regarding plans to send crew to the lunar surface as part of NASA's Artemis campaign," NASA says in a statement, per the Orlando Sentinel. "We look forward to learning more from about the Trump Administration's plans for our agency and expanding exploration at the moon and Mars for the benefit of all."
A NASA webpage was edited March 16 to remove the pledge that "NASA will land the first woman, first person of color, and first international partner astronaut on the moon." It now says Artemis III will "send the first humans to explore the lunar South Pole region," per the Sentinel. The initial pledge could still be found on one webpage as of Tuesday, but it's unclear if it's accurate. Interestingly, the pledge to put a woman on the moon was made during Trump's first presidency, per NPR. Artemis III, planned for mid-2027, will follow Artemis II, the program's first crewed flight, which will carry the first woman (NASA astronaut Christina Koch), first person of color (NASA astronaut Victor Glover), and first international partner (Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen) in flight around the moon. (More NASA stories.)