NASA has deleted its historic “First Woman” graphic novels from its official website and social media platforms, sparking controversy over the removal of content celebrating diversity and women in space exploration. The interactive comic books, released in 2021 and 2023, told the story of Callie Rodriguez, the first woman to explore the Moon.
The publications were created by NASA as part of its efforts to inspire young women and showcase the agency’s commitment to promoting diversity and inclusion. The graphic novels featured real-life technologies developed by NASA and highlighted the achievements of female astronauts.
Despite their removal, fans and enthusiasts can still access the digital versions of the graphic novels on SoundCloud and through online archives. A photo taken in 2024 showing two astronauts holding up a copy of the first novel has also been preserved online.
The deletion of these publications comes as part of NASA’s ongoing efforts to purge content related to diversity and women from its platforms. The move has sparked criticism, with some pointing out that other content featuring white men remains available.
NASA released its first digital graphic novel on National Comic Book Day in 2021, with the second one published in November 2023. The publications were designed to inspire young women and highlight NASA’s commitment to promoting diversity and inclusion in space exploration.
Source: https://nasawatch.com/education/you-can-still-read-nasas-deleted-first-woman-graphic-novels