NASA defends Artemis III crew as critics question all-male lineup

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A NASA administrator is responding to criticism that its recently announced crew for Artemis III doesn’t include any women, despite its designation as the “twin sister” of the Apollo missions.Following the space agency’s crew announcement June 9, reactions came in from high-profile women across the industry, including a science TV host and a cosmic influencer and commentator with more than 5 million followers on social media.In a lengthy post to X, NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said he had “seen the reactions ranging from disappointment to outrage.” He added, “We have an extraordinary astronaut corps, and every mission and every crew is part of a larger campaign to get America back to the Moon and to build the future we all dreamed about as children.”Here’s what you should know about the criticism, and how NASA defended its choices.One small step for man, or one big step backwards for women?On June 9, NASA confirmed the names of the crew for Artemis III. They were selected from NASA's active astronaut corps and the European Astronaut corps. The crew consists of mission specialists Frank Rubio and Andre Douglas, as well as pilot Luca Parmitano and commander Randy Bresnik.Absent from the list were any women, which one communications specialist and STEM/space influencer described as “insane.”“Not a single woman flying on Artemis III is an insane choice,” Alexandra Doten, also known as Astro Alexandra, posted to X.Other women who work in the space industry pointed out the irony of NASA’s staffing choices, noting that the Artemis missions are known as the “twin sister” of Apollo.“Now seems like a good time to remind everybody that Artemis is the twin sister of Apollo,” Emily Calandrelli, a science TV host and passenger on Blue Origin’s tourist rocket said in a reel posted to Instagram. The post was captioned, “When there are plenty of rock star women to choose from - this is a deliberate choice.”Camille Bergin, a former space engineer turned science communicator, said in an Instagram reel that the decision feels like a “step backwards,” especially given that the original mission plan was supposed to see the first woman land on the moon.“Artemis III was supposed to land the first woman on the Moon. Now it’s going to Earth orbit (for good reasons) and the crew is all men???” Bergin wrote in the caption. “This is of course not to diminish the qualifications of these amazing astronauts, but it just feels like we’re taking a huge step back.”NASA defends its crew choicesIn his X post responding to the criticism, Isaacman asked that people “celebrate the astronauts selected, respect the integrity of the process, and recognize the extraordinary depth of talent across the entire corps.”Crew assignments consider numerous factors, Isaacman said, such as background, expertise and availability.Isaacman added that there are women currently preparing for specialized roles on specific missions, such as traveling to the International Space Station or landing on the surface of the moon, something Artemis III will not be tasked with.He also noted that crew selection is not influenced by politics, a seeming nod to the Trump administration’s concerted efforts to rid U.S. institutions, including at NASA, of diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, or DEI.Isaacman concluded by saying, “The Artemis III astronauts are experienced, qualified, and deserve to be celebrated for the mission they have been assigned, just as the crews that follow will be celebrated when their time comes.”What is the Artemis III mission?Artemis III will launch four astronauts from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida aboard the Orion spacecraft on the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket. This mission will test rendezvous and docking between Orion and the commercial Human Landing Systems (HLS) from SpaceX and Blue Origin, which are necessary for delivering astronauts to the lunar surface.The Human Landing System (HLS) is the mode of transportation that will take astronauts to the lunar surface.For future Artemis missions, the lander will also function as living quarters while astronauts collect samples, conduct experiments and test new technologies on the moon. After their mission, the crew will return to the lander to reunite with their teammates and return to Earth in Orion.Will Artemis III land on the moon?No. Artemis III will test the landers in low Earth orbit, but future Artemis missions will send the uncrewed lander to lunar orbit to await astronauts. The Orion spacecraft will transport a crew from Earth to the lander, which will then descend to the moon’s surface. In later missions, crew transfers will occur via NASA’s Gateway lunar space station.Jennifer Borresen contributed to this report.Drew Pittock covers national trending news for USA TODAY. He can be reached at DPittock@usatodayco.com.