NASA drops its DEI emphasis on race and sex in describing who will fly on first Artemis lunar landing
Not surprisingly, considering Trump’s executive orders demanding all government agencies discontinue their racial and sex quotas based on the bigoted Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) policies, NASA has now deleted any mention of launching the first “woman and person of color” on its first Artemis lunar landing mission.
The Artemis landing page of Nasa’s website previously included the words: “Nasa will 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.” The version of the page live on the website on Friday, however, appears with the phrase removed.
During the Biden administration every single press release about this first Artemis lunar landing touted these racial and sexual qualifications, as if it was the only thing that mattered in choosing the right astronauts for the job. It was not only illegal discrimination against men and whites, it was insulting to minorities and women.
This change in language does not mean that NASA will now purposely exclude “women or people of color” from that mission. Instead, it ends the emphasis on race and sex. The astronauts NASA chooses for the flight will now be picked based on more important considerations, such as experience and talent. Picking someone because of their race or gender is like picking someone because of the color of their eyes or hair. It is stupid and misguided. Trump has now ended that stupidity.
Or at least he is forcing NASA’s management make its bigotry less obvious. We should not be surprised if that management still intends to make race and sex a major criteria. They will simply no longer blast that decision with a bullhorn.
On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.
The print edition can be purchased at Amazon or from any other book seller. If you want an autographed copy the price is $60 for the hardback and $45 for the paperback, plus $8 shipping for each. Go here for purchasing details. The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.
The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News
Not surprisingly, considering Trump’s executive orders demanding all government agencies discontinue their racial and sex quotas based on the bigoted Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) policies, NASA has now deleted any mention of launching the first “woman and person of color” on its first Artemis lunar landing mission.
The Artemis landing page of Nasa’s website previously included the words: “Nasa will 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.” The version of the page live on the website on Friday, however, appears with the phrase removed.
During the Biden administration every single press release about this first Artemis lunar landing touted these racial and sexual qualifications, as if it was the only thing that mattered in choosing the right astronauts for the job. It was not only illegal discrimination against men and whites, it was insulting to minorities and women.
This change in language does not mean that NASA will now purposely exclude “women or people of color” from that mission. Instead, it ends the emphasis on race and sex. The astronauts NASA chooses for the flight will now be picked based on more important considerations, such as experience and talent. Picking someone because of their race or gender is like picking someone because of the color of their eyes or hair. It is stupid and misguided. Trump has now ended that stupidity.
Or at least he is forcing NASA’s management make its bigotry less obvious. We should not be surprised if that management still intends to make race and sex a major criteria. They will simply no longer blast that decision with a bullhorn.
On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.
The print edition can be purchased at Amazon or from any other book seller. If you want an autographed copy the price is $60 for the hardback and $45 for the paperback, plus $8 shipping for each. Go here for purchasing details. The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.
The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News
To be fair, this language appeared during the first Trump Administration and was touted consistently from the beginning of the Artemis program in 2017. Maybe it was necessary at the time to gain Congressional approval… or something.
Patrick Underwood: You are correct. If anything this fact illustrates the stark difference between Trump 45 and Trump 47. 45 was naive and willing to accept idiocy. 47 now knows better and is cleaning it out, ruthlessly.
Unusual as it may be, I completely agree with the sentiment here… The next generation of astronauts to leave earth orbit should be picked by their skills, not by any other reason. If there is a tie, then yes… Go for the female or person of color, that is all good and dandy, but the first criteria should be competency, not race or gender.
A much better method would be to draw straws as to who has to ride Lunar Starship–Safire script ready.
It is interesting to see the many enthusiastic champions of the DEI project go silent after being told to “can it”. One, they should can it. It was excessive to the point of silly. You’d think a serious people could advance the recognition of “minorities” without getting… silly. Two, if DEI was such an imperative in the past, why is it dying such a quick and rather quiet death? Maybe it wasn’t so loved after all.
Being an employee, I certainly didn’t much care for the peculiar lectures and bizarre testing we carbon blobs had to endure in homage to this god, DEI.
My guess is that it was complied with so as to not threaten funding….sort of like how high school coaches had to grit their teeth through drivers ed and sex ed courses as a substitute teacher.
The last real row that I recall making the press was when some atomic weapon designers had to attend. The socialologists were likely salivating at the chance to tell off what they saw as the most WASPish of all targets–instead they got there heads bitten off.
Economics/businessmen will go along with anything of course–appease the protesters while de-banking social conservatives because they don’t form flash mobs and raid storefronts.
Don’r get me wrong. Moat astronauts are highly qualified professionals who got there through merit. But among people who can do the job well, other factors apply. This is especially true for the decision on who goes on high profile missions.
Unfortunately, what the Artemas astronauts look like will matter. The manned space program has always existed almost entirely for appearances anyway. It is a poor investment for science or even for exploration. These ends can be furthered more cheaply with other means. The pictures on TV are how Apollo helped win the cold war. The pictures on TV helped lobbyists keep the money flowing. The pictures on TV help attract attention to science in general, including those that give far more return per dollar invested. A mixed race & gender group is what we are going to get, regardless of DEI or any qualifications above that required to do the job well. They will be more physically attractive than most of us. If they wouldn’t get a ton of dates just based on a profile picture, they won’t go to the moon. Because that’s what looks good on TV. Period. Full stop.
Going underground
https://phys.org/news/2025-04-creative-arounds-laws-restrict.html
But silence you–fine
https://phys.org/news/2025-04-deregulating-online-platforms-bad-free.html