Grab some tissues, because it's about to get very dusty in here. Yesterday, NASA decided to pack not one, but two, emotional moments into the historic day on Artemis II. Not only did the crew receive a pre-recorded message from late Apollo astronaut Jim Lovell, whose record they broke yesterday, they also announced their name suggestion for certain features on the far side of the moon, meant to honor their mission.
This included naming a crater after their spacecraft, Integrity, and another one after Commander Reid Wiseman's late wife, Carroll.
To commemorate the Artemis II mission, the astronauts announced their suggestion to rename certain features on the Moon to honor the Orion spacecraft, named Integrity, as well as commander Reid Wiseman's late wife, Carroll. pic.twitter.com/ejfhnItDo8
— NASA (@NASA) April 6, 2026
"A number of years ago, we started this journey in our close-knit astronaut family and we lost a loved one. And there's a feature in a really neat place on the moon, and it is on the near-side, far-side boundary," said Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen.
"And so at certain times of the moon's transit ... we will be able to see it from Earth," he continued. "We lost a loved one. Her name was Carroll, the spouse of Reid, the mother of Katie and Ellie."
Hansen was audibly emotional making this request, and the entire crew hugged afterward.
Carroll Wiseman, a nurse, died in 2020 following a years-long battle with cancer. She was 46 years old.
Tissue alert would have been nice. 🥹
— Sandy 〽️ (@RightSandy) April 6, 2026
We're all crying a little bit.
The pictures aren’t the only beautiful things coming out of this mission. Now Reid Wiseman’s two daughters can look up and see their mother in the night sky. https://t.co/GBEnDW04Q0
— Andy Kim (@AndyKimNJ) April 7, 2026
Forever part of the moon.
This is:
— Jack Jenkins (@jackmjenkins) April 7, 2026
1. Deeply moving.
2. The first time I've seen a real astronaut be anything other than serious or happy in space. Obvi they have been (they're human), but folks on earth have only ever seen this in movies or on TV.
Imagine watching your tears of grief float around you. https://t.co/eqP5IZGOXc
Isn't technology wonderful? We get to watch the Artemis II mission unfold in real time, and it's amazing.
What a remarkably moving, and deeply human moment in the middle of this spectacular technological achievement. God bless this crew, and God bless our country. https://t.co/Z8LZ6CiBkW
— Joanne Mason (@JoanneMason11) April 6, 2026
This is an incredible moment for NASA and America. They represent the best of us.