How NASA commander on Artemis II mission named moon crater after his late wife. ‘That was not the plan. But…’

NASA’s Artemis II mission made history on April 6, 2026, when four astronauts - commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, and mission specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen travelled farther from Earth than any humans ever before. The crew successfully broke the record of the Apollo 13 mission in 1970. At their most distant point, the Artemis II members were more than 248,000 miles away on their lunar flyby, a milestone that was celebrated across the world. But one poignant moment that left everyone, in space and on Earth, emotional was when Wiseman named a lunar crater after his late wife, Carroll Taylor.

NASA commander on naming moon crater after late wife

Recently, Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen appeared on The Tonight Show, hosted by Jimmy Fallon, where the crew talked about their intergalactic journey. During the heartfelt conversation, Fallon spoke about Wiseman’s ‘moving gesture’, asking the commander whether he had pre-planned the lovely tribute for his late wife. Surprisingly, Wiseman revealed that the decision was taken on the spot.


Reid Wiseman shared that the idea of honouring his late wife by naming a moon crater after her was suggested by Christina Koch. He admitted that such impromptu decisions were only possible when you are ‘flying in space with three of the greatest humans you could ever fly with’. So, it was his crew who jointly agreed on the tribute. ‘It was a crew decision,’ disclosed Wiseman, adding that Jeremy Hansen gave one of the most moving speeches at that moment, which, in a way, also became a great honour for his kids.

More about the Artemis II moon mission

Reid Wiseman’s daughters, Ellie and Katherine, were watching their father from the Mission Control at Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, when the emotional tribute happened. They were completely unaware of what was about to unfold. ‘It was deeply moving for them,’ said Wiseman before adding that the special incident also brought him closer to his crew members, solidifying their bond. ‘We are bonded forever,’ noted Wiseman, a statement that received an euphoric applause from Jimmy Fallon and the audience.

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During the moon mission, Jeremy Hansen radioed down to Mission Control with the emotional request. NASA also shared a reel on its Instagram account where Hansen talked about the ‘close-knit astronaut family’, reflecting on their journey together. Upon spotting a crater on the Moon’s surface, he requested the ‘bright spot on the moon’ to be named Carroll, ‘the spouse of Reid, the mother of Katey and Ellie’.

Who was Carroll Taylor Wiseman?

Carroll Taylor Wiseman died of cancer in 2020 at the age of 46. She had dedicated her life to caring for others, working as a newborn intensive care unit registered nurse, as well as a pediatric nurse practitioner and school nurse, as per an ABC News report.