The four astronauts completing NASA’s Artemis II mission requested to give a lunar crater a name that proves just how much the crew has bonded during their journey.
On April 1, after years of preparation, astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Hammock Koch and Jeremy Hansen began their 10-day trip into space on the Orion capsule, named Integrity, to orbit the moon. The quartet, who are going deeper into space than any group of humans in history, have been sending messages back to Earth.
In one video posted on NASA’s Instagram account April 6, all four astronauts are seen floating in the spacecraft as Hansen explains that they found “relatively fresh craters on the moon” that have not been named yet. So, he says the group decided to suggest a couple names after spending the morning further examining the craters with their naked eye and through a long lens.
“If you were to look at Orientale on the far side and then draw a line straight up to Ohm on the far side, relatively in the middle is an unnamed crater and we would like to suggest it be called Integrity in the future,” Hansen says in the clip, in honor of their “great” spacecraft.
He continues, “And the second one, and especially meaningful for this crew, is a number of years ago, we started this journey and our close-knit astronaut family and we lost a loved one.”
Hansen adds that the other crater is in a “really neat” spot near the side of a boundary that makes it visible from Earth at certain times.
“We lost a loved one, her name was Carroll, the spouse of Reid, the mother of Katey and Ellie… (The crater is) a bright spot on the moon and we would like to call it Carroll,” he shares before spelling the name.
As he explains the significance of the name, Wiseman, who is seated beside Hansen, wipes away tears and clasps his hands together. Wiseman then places his hand on Hansen’s shoulder and the two sweetly embrace. A few seconds later, Glover and Hammock Koch, also seen wiping away tears, join the group hug.
Artemis II crew member commander Reid Wiseman during a rehearsal walkout from the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center on December 20, 2025 in Cape Canaveral, Florida.Joe Raedle/Getty Images
Wiseman’s late wife “dedicated her life to helping others as a newborn intensive care unit Registered Nurse,” according to his biography on the NASA website. Wiseman is currently raising their two children, Katey and Ellie.
The biography also said Wiseman “considers his time as an only parent as his greatest challenge and the most rewarding phase of his life.”
In the comments beneath the Instagram post, social media users applauded Reid for the sweet gesture for his spouse.
“Sounds like Carroll was loved to the Moon and back, literally,” one said.
Another wrote, “Her babies can look to the night sky and see their mom.”
A third commented, “Find yourself a man who will fly to the moon to honor your life by naming a lunar crater after you.”
Wiseman, Glover, Hammock Koch and Hansen will return to Earth on April 10 at approximately 8:07 p.m. ET, splashing down in the Pacific Ocean near the coast of San Diego.