The crew of NASA’s historic Artemis II mission honored the late Carol Wiseman, the wife of astronaut Reed Wiseman, by proposing to name a moon crater in her memory. This poignant moment was broadcast live on a NASA livestream.
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Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen informed mission control on Monday that his team aimed to “honor our mission by naming two craters on the moon.”
One of the craters is named after Carol Wiseman, the wife of Artemis II commander Reed Wiseman, who succumbed to cancer in 2020 at the age of 46.
“We lost a loved one. Her name was Carol, and she was the mother of Katie and Ellie, Reed’s daughters,” Hansen expressed.
He referred to the crater as a “bright spot on the moon.”
“We like to call it Carol,” Hansen noted.
Wiseman family via NASA. NASA
Following Hansen’s heartfelt eulogy, the crew linked arms and floated in zero gravity, with both Wiseman and NASA astronaut Christina Koch visibly emotional.
Carol Wiseman “dedicated her life to helping others as a registered nurse in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.” NASA reported.
“Despite his numerous professional accolades, Mr. Reed views his journey as a single parent as the greatest challenge and most rewarding period of his life,” according to Wiseman’s NASA biography.
Wiseman was named commander of the Artemis II mission in 2023. Prior to the launch, he voiced concerns about the time away from his family that the mission entailed.
“As a single father of two daughters,” he said, “it would be simpler to stay home and watch soccer on weekends, but we have four individuals capable of exploring unique opportunities in our civilization.”
The Artemis II crew also suggested naming the second crater “Integrity,” inspired by the name of their Orion spacecraft.
Following the mission, the naming proposal will be formally submitted to the International Astronomical Union, which will decide on the naming of the crater and its features.
The Artemis II team of four accomplished the mission’s lunar flight on Monday, reaching a record distance from Earth. At the mission’s peak, the astronauts were approximately 42,752 miles away, surpassing the record set by the Apollo 13 crew in 1970.
“By achieving the greatest distance ever traveled by humans from Earth, we pay tribute to the extraordinary efforts and achievements of our predecessors in space exploration,” Hansen communicated to mission control upon confirming the milestone.
“We will continue our journey further into space until Mother Earth brings us back to what we cherish most,” he stated. “But most importantly, we challenge this generation and the next to ensure this record does not last.”
Wiseman, Koch, Glover, and Hansen commenced their journey home, officially exiting the moon’s sphere of influence at 1:25 p.m. Tuesday, approximately 41,000 miles from the moon. NASA confirmed.
After 10 days in space, the crew is set to return to Earth on Friday, splashing down off the coast of San Diego.
Source: www.nbcnews.com
