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First Person of Color to Set Foot on the Moon With the NASA Artemis Program

One great leap for diversity - NASA plans to land the first person of color and the first woman on the Moon under the Artemis program.
NASA to land the first person of color on the Moon 6 photos
Photo: NASA/Youtube
First Person of color to land on the lunar surface by 2024First Person of color to land on the lunar surface by 2024First Person of color to land on the lunar surface by 2024First Person of color to land on the lunar surface by 2024First Person of color to land on the lunar surface by 2024
The last time a human set foot on the Moon was with Apollo 17 in 1972. The Artemis program's mission to send mankind to the Moon again was announced for the first time back in 2019. At that time, NASA promised to land the first woman on the lunar surface within five years.

In December last year, NASA introduced the 18 astronauts who have been chosen to be part in the Artemis program. The group comprises nine women, but also and several people of color. It is not clear though who will be the first person of color and the first woman to land on the Moon. So far, only 12 people have been up there, and all of them were men.

Before announcing that the first person of color would be sent to the Moon, U.S. President Joe Biden announced a budget proposal for NASA to allocate $24.7 billion.

In a news release on Friday, acting NASA Administrator Steve Jurczyk said "the president’s discretionary request increases NASA’s ability to better understand Earth and further monitor and predict the impacts of climate change.

"It also gives us the necessary resources to continue advancing America’s bipartisan Moon to Mars space exploration plan, including landing the first woman and first person of color on the Moon under the Artemis program,”
he continued.

The NASA statement continues to show detailed information about the funding application, including its support for technology, science, exploration, and aeronautics. The budget will allow NASA to „address the climate change challenge and to understand the Earth and its function as an integrated system, from the oceans to our atmosphere.”

The Artemis program's first mission is expected to be launched in November 2021, and it will not include a crew. Its first crewed lunar landing mission is scheduled for launch in October 2024.

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About the author: Florina Spînu
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Florina taught herself how to drive in a Daewoo Tico (a rebadged Suzuki Alto kei car) but her first "real car" was a VW Golf. When she’s not writing about cars, drones or aircraft, Florina likes to read anything related to space exploration and take pictures in the middle of nature.
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