On June 9, NASA announced the names of Astronauts for the Artemis III mission: Randy Bresnik, Luca Parmitano, Frank Rubio and Andre Douglas, as well as the backup crew member Bob Hines. Currently, there are 37 active NASA Astronauts, of whom 15 are women, representing 40% of the corps. While all NASA Astronauts share in the program’s achievements, each standing ready, able and trained to serve—the reveal elicited considerable criticism due to the absence of women, as well as celebration for the inclusion of Latino and Black American men. The importance of the USA-led Artemis ‘Return to the Moon’ program remains the same, but it becomes challenging to sustain enthusiasm and inspiration when leadership decisions continue to disappoint the public, particularly those who were not represented during the Apollo program. The Artemis III crew selection comes after the January 2025 Trump administration executive orders directing NASA to eliminate Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) programs. The Artemis II crew, announced April 2023, included only one woman and one person of color among its four members, and dishearteningly, Artemis III features no women at all. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman defended the choice of the all-male crew stating, “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.” Without a commitment to gender-balanced Artemis teams, this selection feels reminiscent of the past, accompanied by a few gestures. (Image Credits: NASA, ASI)