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NASA’s two First Woman graphic novels followed fictional astronaut Callie Rodriguez on a future mission to the Moon. Reports in March and April 2025 said both books had disappeared from NASA’s public websites. The removal was reported amid wider federal efforts to remove DEI-related material, but the available reporting does not establish a specific order or explanation targeting these comics.
What were NASA’s First Woman comics?
First Woman was a two-volume fictional, educational graphic-novel series. Its protagonist, Commander Callie Rodriguez, is an imagined astronaut presented as the first woman to explore the Moon—not a real astronaut or the subject of an actual Moon landing.
- First Woman: NASA’s Promise for Humanity, Issue No. 1: Dream to Reality was released in 2021. NASA described the 40-page comic as highlighting technologies for traveling to, landing on, and exploring the Moon. NASA’s issue-one PDF is indexed, though its current accessibility is not established.
- First Woman: Expanding Our Universe followed in 2023. NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said the series represented the history of women who broke barriers and aimed to help members of the Artemis Generation feel represented in NASA missions. NASA’s 2023 announcement covered the second volume.
The comics paired a future-facing adventure with explanations of NASA technology and space science. The American Library Association’s 2025 review describes the books as a collaboration with the National Institute of Aerospace, with QR codes and app features that let readers explore concepts such as space weather and lunar lava tunnels. It characterizes the story as aimed at elementary-age readers and built around aerospace careers, setbacks, and teamwork. Read the ALA review.
Why did NASA remove the comics?
NASA Watch reported on March 23, 2025, that both publications had disappeared from NASA’s online platforms. Space.com and Euronews later reported that the titles were no longer on NASA’s website. Space.com’s report and Euronews’ report place the disappearance in the context of broader efforts to remove DEI-related content from federal agency websites after President Trump’s January 2025 executive order.
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That context is not proof of a comics-specific reason. The reviewed accounts do not identify an order naming the First Woman books, nor a NASA statement directly explaining their removal. Euronews also reported NASA’s explanation for changes to Artemis website language, but that explanation concerned Artemis—not the comics. NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy and Nelson described the books’ inspirational aims when they were released; those earlier statements do not explain the later disappearance.
Where can readers find the comics now?
When NASA Watch reported the disappearance, it pointed readers to archived PDFs on Wikimedia Commons and the Internet Archive and said an audio version of issue one was available on SoundCloud. It also reported that the companion Android and iOS apps remained listed, although links inside the apps to NASA’s comic pages were dead. The ALA review likewise noted archived copies and app features. NASA Watch’s account describes those access routes.
These are reported routes, not guaranteed current links: their availability and functionality may have changed since 2025. An archive copy may preserve the pages without the original app’s interactive features, while the reported SoundCloud route concerned issue one’s audio rather than both books.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How does the series show women becoming astronauts?
The books present astronaut careers through a fictional mission and the skills and perseverance needed to pursue challenging work. In the release language quoted by NASA Watch, Melroy said Callie’s story showed how passion, dedication, and perseverance could help turn dreams into reality; she also compared Callie’s learning and growth to her own path. That is NASA’s stated framing of the character, not evidence that the story documents a real astronaut’s biography.
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For documentary viewers, the distinction matters: First Woman was an educational work of fiction about NASA technology and representation, not a documentary account of a woman reaching the Moon. NASA’s original purpose and the later reported removal are separate facts; the latter does not, by itself, establish why the agency took the books offline.
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