A record-breaking moment in space quickly turned into an emotional tribute that resonated far beyond the mission itself.
During their historic journey, the crew of Artemis II traveled farther from Earth than any humans in history, surpassing the distance reached by Apollo 13.
But as they crossed that milestone — roughly 248,655 miles from Earth — the astronauts used the moment to propose naming two previously unnamed craters on the Moon.
The first proposed name
Speaking from space to Mission Control in Houston, Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen explained that the crew had identified the lunar features and wished to suggest names for them.
“Our science team helped us out with a couple of relatively fresh craters on the moon that have not been previously named. And our crew would like to propose a couple of potential names,” Hansen said.
“We spent a bit of time this morning looking out the window and were able to see them both with our naked eye and through the long lens, so we feel this is a good time to send this down.”
NASA
The first proposed name, “Integrity,” would honor the Orion spacecraft carrying the crew.
“If you were to look at on the far side and draw a line straight up to Ohm in the far side, relatively in the middle is a unnamed crater, and we’d like to suggest it be called Integrity in the future,” Hansen said.
The second proposal carried a deeply personal meaning for mission commander Reid Wiseman. Hansen described the tribute while noting the loss felt within the astronaut corps.
“A number of years ago we started this journey, in our closeknit astronaut family we lost a loved one,” Hansen said. “There’s a feature in a really neat place on the moon.”
What happened to Carroll Wiseman
He added that the crater appears as a bright spot visible from Earth during certain points in the Moon’s orbit.
“We would like to call it Carroll,” he said.
Following the proposal, Mission Control remained silent for approximately 45 seconds before responding.
CapCom Jenny Gibbons then acknowledged the request.
“Integrity and Carroll Crater. Loud and clear. Thank you.”
The name honors Carroll Wiseman, who died in 2020 after a five-year battle with cancer. She is survived by Wiseman and their two daughters.
According to the Baltimore Banner, during Carroll’s illness, Reid stepped away from active flight assignments and took on leadership roles within the astronaut office, first serving as a deputy and later as chief. He eventually returned to flight status in November 2022, and not long after, NASA selected him for a major new mission — a crewed journey to the Moon.
Instagram / Astro_reid
Wiseman posted a selfie with his two daughters before the flight, sharing, ”I love these two ladies, and I’m boarding that rocket a very proud father.”
He has also taken steps to prepare his daughters for the realities and risks that come with space travel.
“I went on a walk with my kids, and I told them, ‘Here’s where the will is, here’s where the trust documents are, and if anything happens to me, here’s what’s going to happen to you,’” Reid Wiseman said at a NASA news conference, according to the Banner. “That’s just a part of this life.”
Worked as a nurse
According to Carroll Wiseman’s obituary, she worked as a nurse and built an impressive academic and professional background along the way. Her life was defined by compassion and service, with a career dedicated to caring for children and families.
”Carroll, a native of Virginia Beach, was the daughter of Waller and Anne Taylor. She was a graduate of First Colonial High School, James Madison University, and Virginia Commonwealth University,” her obituary reads.
After completing her education, she went on to specialize in pediatric care, making a meaningful impact in multiple communities.
Astro_Reid / X
”Upon graduation as a pediatric nurse practitioner, Carroll worked at Children’s Hospital of the King’s Daughters (CHKD) and as a school nurse in Patuxent River, MD and later in Friendswood, TX,” reads the obit.
Her dedication to helping others was also highlighted by NASA, which recognized the important role she played both professionally and personally.
“Reid’s hometown is Baltimore, Maryland. His late wife, Carroll, dedicated her life to helping others as a newborn intensive care unit Registered Nurse,” NASA wrote.
The new crater names are not yet official and must be approved by the International Astronomical Union, the body responsible for naming celestial features. Similar proposals have taken years to be formally recognized.
Still, the moment marked a rare intersection of scientific achievement and personal tribute, as a milestone in human spaceflight was used to honor both a mission and a memory.
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