\n<\/p>\n
Since 1978, every new group of NASA astronauts has included women and usually reflected a multiplicity of races and ethnicities.<\/p>\n
That is not simply by chance. NASA\u2019s process for selecting its astronauts is not entirely gender- and race-blind. With so many outstanding applicants, choosing a diversified, highly qualified group of candidates has been achievable, said Duane Ross, who worked as manager of NASA\u2019s astronaut selection office from 1976 until he retired in 2014.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou didn\u2019t lose sight of wanting your astronaut corps to be reflective of society,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Over most of its history, NASA has risen above partisan bickering, with broad support in Congress from Republicans and Democrats, conservatives and liberals. But the makeup of its most visible employees \u2014 its astronauts \u2014 could now collide with President Trump\u2019s crusade against programs that promote diversity, equity and inclusion \u2014 or D.E.I.<\/p>\n
For NASA to consider race and gender at all in the choosing of astronauts appears to run counter to an executive order that Mr. Trump signed on Jan. 22. That order declares that hiring for federal jobs will \u201cnot under any circumstances consider D.E.I.-related factors, goals, policies, mandates, or requirements.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
On the same day, echoing language in a template used by agency heads across the federal government, Janet Petro, the current acting administrator, told NASA employees that D.E.I. programs \u201cdivided Americans by race, wasted taxpayer dollars, and resulted in shameful discrimination.\u201d<\/p>\n
NASA\u2019s astronauts have served as ambassadors of bravery and technological derring-do for the space agency. But the original astronauts more than half a century ago were all white men, and mostly military test pilots.<\/p>\n
In the late 1970s, as the space shuttle era approached, the agency worked to broaden the diversity of the people it launched into the final frontier. And the current requirements for consideration are fairly minimal: U.S. citizenship; a master\u2019s degree in science, engineering or mathematics; and three years of professional experience.<\/p>\n
Even during Mr. Trump\u2019s first term, diversity and inclusion was a priority for top NASA officials. The administrator then was Jim Bridenstine, a former Republican congressman from Oklahoma, and in 2020, he added \u201cinclusion\u201d as the fifth core value for the space agency, joining \u201csafety,\u201d \u201cintegrity,\u201d \u201cteamwork\u201d and \u201cexcellence.\u201d<\/p>\n
Under Mr. Trump, NASA also promised that the next moon landing would include a woman astronaut. Under President Biden, NASA broadened that promise to include a \u201cperson of color,\u201d although not necessarily for the first Artemis program landing.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
The embrace of inclusion was also evident last March when NASA issued a call for new astronauts. April Jordan, the current manager of the astronaut selection office, spoke about wanting to choose a group that was reflective of American society.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe astronauts are the face of NASA,\u201d Ms. Jordan said during an interview on the podcast \u201cAmplify Talent.\u201d<\/p>\n
She cited the crew of NASA\u2019s upcoming Artemis II mission, which includes Victor Glover and Christina Koch. That flight is to swing around the moon without landing.<\/p>\n
\u201cBeing able to see a Black astronaut or a woman astronaut on this really important mission, I think, is important,\u201d Ms. Jordan said during the podcast. \u201cSo I feel a sense of responsibility in making sure that we continue to build diversity into our astronaut corps.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\u201cOur office looks the way it looks because of this intentionality, and thinking about our biases and how it may affect who we hire,\u201d he said. \u201cI think that\u2019s a huge victory.\u201d<\/p>\n
How well is NASA doing? No one knows for sure. A report in 2022 by the agency\u2019s inspector general noted that NASA lacked racial and ethnic information for more than a third of its astronauts.<\/p>\n
Roger Launius, who was NASA\u2019s chief historian in the 1990s, said the push for diversity also aimed to promote a positive image of NASA among a wider swath of voters so that Congress would continue financing it.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt least that\u2019s a part of the thinking,\u201d Dr. Launius said.<\/p>\n
Last year, more than 8,000 applications poured in by the April 16 deadline, and NASA\u2019s timeline is to announce its selections in June this year.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Cheryl Warner, a NASA spokeswoman, said the astronaut selection was moving ahead as planned. \u201cNASA remains focused on attracting and selecting the best astronaut candidates based on their qualifications, skills and experience to help the agency accomplish its human spaceflight goals,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
To add NASA astronaut to your r\u00e9sum\u00e9 is one of the hardest goals in the world to aim for.<\/p>\n
Ten people were chosen during the previous round in 2021. If NASA selects another 10 astronaut candidates this time that would be an acceptance rate of less than 0.13 percent. Being accepted by Harvard, the California Institute of Technology or another highly selective college is much easier.<\/p>\n
Since the beginning of human spaceflight, NASA has always had far more highly qualified candidates than openings.<\/p>\n
\u201cLet me say that 100 percent, we never picked anybody that we didn\u2019t feel was fully qualified just in order to include a minority or female,\u201d Mr. Ross said. \u201cThat didn\u2019t happen.\u201d<\/p>\n
Once applicants who do not meet the basic requirements are tossed out, people including current astronauts read through applications and recommend which ones deserve further attention.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
In 1978, NASA had not picked any astronauts since 1969. All of the astronauts of the 1960s were white men.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat was partly a function of where we were as a society then,\u201d Dr. Launius said.<\/p>\n
The requirement for the astronauts selected for NASA\u2019s Mercury program to have a background as a high-performance test pilot \u201cmade it virtually impossible to find women who had that skill set,\u201d Dr. Launius said. \u201cThere were some African Americans who did, but there were a very small number of those.”<\/p>\n
One fighter pilot, Ed Dwight, met the qualifications, but NASA never selected him. A privately financed research program showed that women could pass the physiological tests that NASA used, but the space agency never seriously considered the possibility that women could be astronauts.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere were a few efforts in the 1960s to broaden that, but it didn\u2019t pan out,\u201d Dr. Launius said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
With the end of the Apollo program, NASA did not need additional astronauts until the space shuttles were ready to fly. And this time, NASA worked to get the word out to organizations like the Society of Women Engineers that not just white men would be considered.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Mr. Ross said there were no quotas set. \u201cBut we certainly had a goal of including people from all walks of life,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Of the thousands who applied, there were probably \u201ca thousand or so\u201d who were highly qualified, Mr. Ross said.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo we kept narrowing down a little bit at a time,\u201d he said. \u201cThere were good women applicants and good minority applicants. So you didn\u2019t have to fudge the system to make it work. They were there, and all you had to do was to pick them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sally Ride became the first American woman to fly to space in 1983 during the seventh space shuttle mission. On the next mission, Guion Bluford became first Black American to reach orbit.<\/p>\n
Garrett Reisman, a retired NASA astronaut, said he did not recall a specific conversation discussing race or gender or diversity when he served on the selection board that chose astronauts in 2009.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\u201cIt was known to be one of the things we were going for,\u201d Dr. Reisman said. \u201cIf you had two people that were completely equal in all other regards, then yes, it would be an advantage to have somebody who brought more diversity to the office.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dr. Reisman said that a key part of the job, in addition to flying on rockets, is to inspire the next generation. \u201cWe wouldn\u2019t be able to inspire every kid in America if they didn\u2019t see themselves represented,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
He recalled a Fourth of July parade in downtown Houston in 1998 when he was a newly selected astronaut. He and the other members of his group were riding on several fire trucks. \u201cThere were a lot of people of color along the parade route watching the parade,\u201d Dr. Reisman said.<\/p>\n
The response of the spectators was \u201calmost disinterested,\u201d he said. Then when children caught sight of his fellow astronaut, Leland Melvin, who is Black, \u201cYou could just see their eyes light up and they got up on their feet and they started clapping,\u201d Dr. Reisman said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe impact he had just by standing on that fire truck,\u201d Dr. Reisman said, \u201chis ability to get these kids excited about space exploration without doing anything, just by being there, just by being seen, was so powerful.\u201d<\/p>\n
He added, \u201cAnd if you can\u2019t connect to those kids, you\u2019re leaving a whole group of people behind.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n