Artemis II astronauts dedicate a crater on the Moon to Commander Wiseman’s deceased wife: the touching scene

The mission Artemis II has just set a record: the crew he has traveled further from Earth than any humanover 400 thousand kilometers, during the journey around the Moon. But the moment that struck the most was not technical. It arrived shortly after, when a request destined to remain in history came from the Orion capsule.

During the lunar flyby, the mission specialist Jeremy Hansen contacted mission control with a proposal to name an as yet unnamed crater. His voice cracked as he explained the meaning of the choice: dedicate it to Carrollthe wife of Commander Reid Wiseman, who passed away in 2020 after a long illness. For a few seconds there was silence, then the astronauts they hugged each otherwhile the response came from Houston: request received.

The personal story behind the mission

Behind this gesture there is a deeply personal story. Wiseman lost his wife just 44 years oldremaining single father of two daughters. Carroll Taylor Wiseman worked as neonatal nursededicating her career to caring for children. His death, five years after his cancer diagnosis, profoundly affected the commander’s life.

Before launch, Wiseman had shared a photo with his daughterswriting about boarding the mission as proud father. During the trip he also brought with him homemade biscuitsa detail that tells the more human side of a mission destined for the history of space exploration.

The “Carroll” crater and the official proposal

The crater indicated by the crew is located in a bright area of ​​the lunar surfacenear the border between the visible side and the hidden side. According to the description, it is located northwest of the Glushko crater and at the same latitude as the Ohm crater. The name “Carroll” it is not yet official: it will have to be approved by International Astronomical Unionthe body that assigns the names of celestial bodies.

It’s not the first time this has happened. It was also proposed during the Apollo 8 mission a name dedicated to the wife of an astronautthen formally recognized only many years later. Now the Artemis II proposal could follow the same path.

The far side flyby and the Earthrise

The emotional moment arrived while the mission faced one of the most delicate phases: the passage to the dark side of the Moon. During this maneuver, communications with Earth were interrupted for about 40 minutes, while Orion flew over the satellite’s non-visible hemisphere.

When the capsule resurfaced, the astronauts witnessed the Earthrise, the Earth appearing above the lunar horizon. A scene seen only once in history with a human crew, during Apollo 8. After the flyby, the spacecraft entered the return route to Earthcompleting the dress rehearsal that will pave the way for future Artemis missions and the new moon landing expected in the coming years.