Emotional Crater Naming: Artemis II Honors Loved Ones

The Artemis II crew, currently on their return journey from the moon, has made a heartfelt request to name two lunar craters. Commander Reid Wiseman and his Canadian counterpart Jeremy Hansen proposed naming a fresh, small crater Integrity, in honor of their capsule. They also requested to name another crater Carroll, after Wiseman's late wife, who passed away in 2020.

This deeply emotional moment occurred just before their lunar fly-around on Monday, April 6, 2026. The request left ground controllers momentarily speechless, with NASA lunar scientist Ryan Watkins describing it as "definitely a very emotional moment" and noting "not a single dry eye." This act of personalization draws parallels to Apollo 8 astronaut Jim Lovell, who named a lunar peak Mount Marilyn after his wife in 1968.

Mission Control's lead scientist Kelsey Young had quietly assisted the crew in selecting two suitable craters for the proposed names. One, tentatively named Carroll Crater, is approximately 3 miles (5 kilometers) across and located on the moon's boundary between its near and far sides. The slightly larger Integrity crater is situated entirely on the lunar far side. Their request came shortly after the crew broke the distance record for deep-space travelers, previously held by Apollo 13.

Once the Artemis II mission concludes, the crew will formally submit the names Carroll and Integrity to the International Astronomical Union for approval. This process is typically straightforward and may take about a month. The agency has a history of astronaut-named lunar features, with previous examples including Apollo 16's "Baby Ray" and "Gator," and Apollo 17's "Lara."