NASA continues to highlight goals of landing the first woman and first person of color on the lunar surface even amid the agency’s recent shutdown of diversity, equity and inclusion programs — also known as DEI — under executive orders from President Trump.

“With NASA’s Artemis campaign, 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,” reads the Artemis mission statement on NASA’s website.

“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.”

The announcement NASA would send the first woman to the moon came under Trump’s first presidency.

That plan called for the Artemis III mission to send two astronauts to walk on the moon for the first time since the end of the Apollo program in 1972. At one point, Trump’s NASA Administrator during his first administration, Jim Bridenstine, said he would not be surprised if that mission’s landing party were to feature an all-female crew.

The declaration that the first person of color would join a future Artemis mission came after President Biden’s election, although NASA has not said whether they would be part of Artemis III or later moon landings.

Of the 24 astronauts who have ever traveled to the moon, 12 of whom actually walked on its surface, all have been white men.

Already the crew for Artemis II aims to break ground when it flies around the moon without landing on its mission slated for as early as April 2026. As the first crewed mission of Artemis, it will add to the list of moon travelers the first woman (NASA astronaut Christina Koch), first person of color (NASA astronaut Victor Glover) and first international partner (Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen) riding alongside NASA’s commander, Reid Wiseman.

Glover touched on diversity as a driving force during a 2023 interview at Kennedy Space Center.

“You may hear people say anyone can go to the moon. Dream big. But to see people that look like you do it, there’s a kid out there that has a greater sense of connection because of what somebody on this group may look like or what someone on the next group may look like,” he said. “And I think that that’s important. Inspiration is more than an emotion. It drives decisions and priorities. And so it’s an important factor of this mission.”

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The crew for Artemis III has yet to be announced, but it’s currently on NASA’s calendar to launch by summer 2027, although plans could shift once Trump’s new administrator is confirmed.

The Orlando Sentinel reached out to NASA for comment on how the Artemis mission statement squares with Trump’s stance on DEI programs, but has not received a reply.

But links to NASA’s Office of Diversity and Equal Opportunity on its website initially last week went to a 404 error page reading, “The cosmic object you are looking for has disappeared beyond the event horizon.” By the weekend, those links had been removed altogether.

Acting NASA Administrator Janet Petro sent out an agencywide memo to employees last Wednesday addressing the removal of the programs as part of two Trump executive orders titled “Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs” and “Preferencing and Initial Rescissions of Harmful Executive Orders and Actions.”

The memo, signed by Petro but using language from the White House read, “The programs divided Americans by race, wasted taxpayer dollars, and results in shameful discrimination.”

It continued with a warning to employees to report DEI-related programs and actions or else face consequences noting, “we are aware of efforts by some in government to disguise these programs by using coded or imprecise language.”

While the link to its DEI-related program is gone, NASA still has a statement about “Innovation and Inclusion” on its careers page:

“At our core, we are a united team driven by a shared mission to explore the extraordinary. To achieve success in our ambitious goals, we are committed to recruiting brilliant minds from all backgrounds and experiences to shape the future,” it reads.

“Innovation thrives in a culture of inclusion, where different perspectives converge to tackle complex challenges. By creating an environment where every voice is heard and respected, we empower our employees to contribute their fullest potential. We foster collaboration, embracing new perspectives and constructive dialogue to drive informed decision-making.”