Space

“A Bright Spot On The Moon:” Artemis II Crew Dedicates Crater to Commander’s Deceased Wife

The crew of Artemis II made history this week, traveling farther into space than any human before. The moments that followed were sentimental as they chose for some of their first words to be the naming of a crater on the moon after the commander’s wife, Carroll, who died in 2020.

The Artemis II crew – Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen, far left, and NASA astronauts Christina Koch, center left, Reid Wiseman, center right, and Victor Glover, right – participated in a live conversation with President Donald J. Trump after their historic lunar flyby during Flight Day 6. (NASA) — The Artemis II crew – Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen, far left, and NASA astronauts Christina Koch, center left, Reid Wiseman, center right, and Victor Glover, right – participated in a live conversation with President Donald J. Trump after their historic lunar flyby during Flight Day 6.
(NASA)

As one of the first words spoken after the Artemis II mission surpassed a historical marker — traveling farther into space than any human before — the crew chose to bring everything back home.

With shaky words in a tender emotional moment, thousands across the globe watched as mission specialist Jeremy Hansen took to the radio, speaking back to everyone on Earth.

“A number of years ago, we started this journey in our close-knit astronaut family, and we lost a loved one,” Hansen said. “Her name was Carroll … [There is] a bright spot on the moon and we would like to call it Carroll.”

Wife to Commander Reid Wiseman, Carroll Wiseman died in 2020 during a battle with cancer at 46.

Wiseman wiped tears from his eyes before floating through the capsule to embrace Hansen. Shortly after, the other two members of the crew — pilot Victor Glover and pilot and mission specialist Christina Koch — joined in a sentimental group hug.

As Hansen released the radio, a moment of silence followed.

Alongside the gravity of this historic moment for all of humanity, these few minutes brought everyone back to share a small, personal story together — in a way that felt connecting, human to human and astronauts to those down on Earth. Viewers shared their love in the chat of the livestreams documenting the moment.

Carroll Wiseman was a pediatric nurse practitioner who had two daughters with her husband, Ellie and Katherine.

In an article by The Times, Wiseman shared that when Carroll became sick, she insisted he continue to follow his dreams as an astronaut. He also spoke about what it’s like to be an only parent in the context of this dangerous mission into space.

This crater is sometimes visible from Earth and can be found along the near and far side boundary.

The crew also suggested the naming of a second crater the naming of a second crater in their moments after making history: Integrity. This name stems from a name the crew had previously chosen for their Orion spacecraft.

According to NASA, “the name Integrity embodies the foundation of trust, respect, candor and humility across the crew and the many engineers, technicians, scientists, planners and dreamers required for mission success.”

MORE: The Farthest Humans Have Ever Been From Earth: Artemis II Makes History

After this mission is complete, the crater name proposals will be formally submitted to the International Astronomical Union, which governs the naming of celestial bodies and their surface features.

“As we surpass the furthest distance humans have ever traveled from planet Earth, we do so in honoring the extraordinary efforts and feats of our predecessors in human space exploration. We will continue our journey even further into space before Mother Earth succeeds in pulling us back to everything that we hold dear,” Hansen said. “But we most importantly choose this moment to challenge this generation and the next to make sure this record is not long-lived.”