NASA Ends DEI Programs But Will Still Land First Woman And POC On The Moon

NASA is shutting down its DEI initiatives following Trump’s executive order that terminated any diversity and inclusion actions in the federal government.

How has NASA responded to Trump’s order?

NASA’s temporary head, Janet Petro, sent an email to employees saying, “These programs divided Americans by race, wasted taxpayer dollars, and resulted in shameful discrimination.”

Acting Director of the US Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Charles Ezell sent out a memo to every head or acting head of every government department and agency telling them to remove DEIA-related language from all communications and public-centric content by 5:00 p.m. ET (2200 GMT) on January 22, according to Space.

Agencies were also required to list contracts or job descriptions updated since November 5, 2024, to “obscure their connection to DEIA programs.”

What changes is NASA making to its DEI efforts?

In response, NASA’s Science Mission Directorate (SMD) is ending initiatives such as the Inclusion Plan Pilot Study and Inclusion Plan requirements. NASA’s Office of Diversity and Equal Opportunity (ODEO) website and related pages have already been removed

In a press release, NASA clarified that program elements with existing proposals will remain unchanged, but Inclusion Plans will no longer be reviewed or impact proposal selections.

Petro further instructed employees to report contract or job role changes to the OPM since the November election, warning them that “failure to report this information within 10 days may result in adverse consequences.”

Will NASA still send a person of color to the Moon?

Even though NASA is ending its DEI efforts, it still plans to achieve its goal of the first woman and person of color landing on the Moon as part of the Artemis campaign.

“We will collaborate with commercial and international partners and establish the first long-term presence on the Moon. 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,” it said on its website.

The Artemis II crew is expected to include the first woman, NASA astronaut Christina Koch; the first person of color, NASA astronaut Victor Glover; and the first international partner, Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen, with NASA commander Reid Wiseman.

Image: MIGUEL J. RODRIGUEZ CARRILLO