Reid Wiseman honoured as Artemis II crew name lunar crater after his late wife during historic mission

Astronauts aboard NASA’s Artemis II mission shared an emotional moment during their historic lunar flyby as they named a crater on the moon after the late wife of mission commander Reid Wiseman.

Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen made the announcement during a live broadcast, saying: “It’s a bright spot on the moon. And we would like to call it Carroll,” according to the broadcast.

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He added that the crater can be seen “at certain times of the moon’s transit around Earth.”

The tribute prompted an emotional response from the crew, with Wiseman and his fellow astronauts embracing in silence as they wiped away tears.

The crater honours Carroll Taylor Wiseman, who died of cancer in 2020. Wiseman has since been raising their two daughters.

The crew also named another lunar feature “Integrity,” after their spacecraft.

The moment came as the four astronauts reached a historic milestone, becoming the humans to travel the furthest distance from Earth.

The Artemis II mission is the first crewed journey beyond low Earth orbit in more than 50 years.

Hansen also reflected on the significance of the mission, saying: “We most importantly choose this moment to challenge this generation and the next, to make sure this record is not long-lived.”