In the silent vacuum of deep space, where the distance from Earth is measured in hundreds of thousands of miles, the most profound moments are often the most personal. Earlier this week, as the crew of Artemis II hurtled back toward Earth, they paused to leave a permanent mark on the lunar landscape—not through a footprint in the dust, but through a request for remembrance.
The crew, led by Commander Reid Wiseman, has proposed naming two lunar craters to honor a lost loved one and the vessel that carried them across the void. This act of lunar crater naming by Artemis II astronauts follows Apollo tradition, echoing a time when the first pioneers of the moon sought to bridge the gap between the sterile environment of a spacecraft and the visceral emotions of home.
The request was made just before Monday’s lunar fly-around, a pivotal moment in the mission that saw the crew break the deep-space distance record previously held by the Apollo 13 mission. In a moment of raw emotion, the four astronauts—three Americans and one Canadian—shared a group hug and wept, marking a departure from the stoic, “all-business” persona of the 1960s test pilots who first ventured to the moon.
A Tribute to Love and Integrity
The heart of the request lies in a deeply personal tribute. Commander Reid Wiseman asked that one of the craters be named “Carroll,” after his late wife, Carroll Wiseman. A neonatal nurse, Carroll died of cancer in 2020, leaving behind a legacy of care that Wiseman carried with him into the farthest reaches of human travel.
Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen delivered the request over the radio, his voice breaking as he spoke to Mission Control. “We lost a loved one. Her name was Carroll, the spouse of Reid, the mother of Katie and Ellie,” Hansen radioed. “It’s a bright spot on the moon and we would like to call it Carroll.”
The second proposed name, “Integrity,” honors the crew’s capsule. The request left ground controllers at the Johnson Space Center in Houston momentarily speechless. NASA lunar scientist Ryan Watkins described the scene as a profoundly human moment, noting that there was “not a single dry eye” among the team on the ground.
The Geology and Geography of Remembrance
The selection of the craters was not random. Mission Control’s lead scientist, Kelsey Young, worked with the crew prior to launch to identify two bright, relatively young craters. Once the spacecraft was close enough to the moon, the crew spotted them using both their naked eyes and zoom lenses.
The proposed Carroll Crater is located at the moon’s left limb, situated on the boundary between the near and far sides. It is a relatively shallow feature, approximately three miles (five kilometers) across, and is occasionally visible from Earth. In contrast, the slightly larger Integrity crater is located entirely on the lunar far side, hidden from terrestrial view.
Whereas the crew’s request was accepted “loud and clear” by Mission Control, the official naming process is governed by a strict international protocol. Upon their return to Earth later this week, the crew will formally submit the names to the International Astronomical Union (IAU), the global authority responsible for assigning designations to celestial bodies.
Bridging the Apollo and Artemis Eras
The gesture creates a direct emotional link to the Apollo 8 mission of 1968. During that historic first journey to the moon, astronaut Jim Lovell named a prominent lunar peak “Mount Marilyn” after his wife, who awaited his return in Houston. Still, the path to official recognition is often gradual; nearly half a century passed before the IAU officially signed off on the name Mount Marilyn in 2017.
The contrast between the Apollo and Artemis crews highlights a shift in the culture of space exploration. The original Apollo astronauts were largely military test pilots trained to suppress emotion under extreme pressure. The Artemis II crew, while equally disciplined, has embraced a more transparent, human approach to the psychological toll of deep-space travel.
To provide context on how the IAU handles these requests, the following table outlines the history of astronaut-led lunar naming:
| Era | Naming Approach | Typical IAU Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Apollo (1968-1972) | Stoic, often informal nicknames | Mixed; some rejected (e.g., “Pete’s Parking Lot”) |
| Artemis (Modern) | Emotionally transparent, personal tributes | Pending; focused on “straightforward” requests |
| IAU Standard | Strict nomenclature guidelines | Formal approval required for official maps |
The Gatekeepers of the Lunar Map
The IAU currently maintains a list of 81 lunar features named by astronauts. These include eclectic entries such as “Baby Ray” and “Gator” from Apollo 16, and “Lara,” named after the lead character in the 1965 film Doctor Zhivago by the Apollo 17 crew.
Not every astronaut’s whim makes the cut. The IAU has historically rejected more whimsical or overly personal designations. For instance, Apollo 12 commander Pete Conrad’s “Pete’s Parking Lot” and Apollo 17 commander Gene Cernan’s “Tracy’s Rock”—named for his daughter—never received official sanction.
Ramasamy Venugopal of the IAU has indicated that a decision on “Carroll” and “Integrity” is expected in approximately one month, which is the standard timeline for requests deemed straightforward.
As the Artemis II crew prepares for their final descent back to Earth, their proposal serves as a reminder that space exploration is not merely a feat of engineering or a quest for scientific data. It is a human endeavor, driven by the people who leave their lives behind for a few weeks to venture into the dark, carrying the memories of those they love into the stars.
The next confirmed milestone for the mission is the crew’s splashdown and subsequent debriefing, after which the formal application to the IAU will be filed.
Do you think astronauts should have the right to name lunar features, or should the moon remain a neutral scientific territory? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
