What to know about Artemis II astronaut Reid Wiseman's late wife
The Artemis II crew is honoring one of their own in a touching way.
On Monday, the team of astronauts proposed naming a newly observed lunar crater after commander Reid Wiseman's late wife Carroll Taylor Wiseman, who died in 2020.
NASA shared an Instagram reel about the name proposal, showing video of the Artemis II crew making the moving announcement and then embracing Wiseman as a group.
"A number of years ago, we started this journey, and our close-knit astronaut family ... lost a loved one," Artemis II mission specialist Jeremy Hansen says in the video. "...Her name was Carroll, the spouse of Reid, the mother of Katey and Ellie."
Referring to the newly observed crater, he adds, "It's a bright spot on the moon, and we would like to call it 'Carroll.'"
The video shows Wiseman wiping away tears as Hansen speaks, before the four crew members -- Wiseman, Hansen, pilot Victor Glover, and mission specialist Christina Koch -- embrace in a group hug.
Who was Carroll Taylor Wiseman?
Carroll Taylor Wiseman was a pediatric nurse practitioner and school nurse, according to her obituary, and in Wiseman's official NASA biography, she is remembered as someone who "dedicated her life to helping others as a newborn intensive care unit Registered Nurse."
The Wisemans have two daughters, Ellie and Katherine, and in his NASA biography, Wiseman called being a single parent one of the "greatest" challenges of his life but also "the most rewarding phase of his life."
Wiseman shared a selfie with Ellie and Katherine ahead of the Artemis II mission, posting the snapshot on Instagram.
"I love these two ladies, and I'm boarding that rocket a very proud father," Wiseman wrote in the photo caption.
Lunar craters are named after engineers, explorers, or scientists who died at least three or more years ago, according to NASA, but some names are also chosen by astronauts during lunar exploration. NASA notes that following the Artemis II mission, proposed names will be submitted to the International Astronomical Union, which governs the naming of celestial bodies and surface features, for approval.
The Artemis II crew completed their lunar fly-by Monday, making history by traveling farther from Earth than any other human in history.
The astronauts are on the seventh day of a 10-day mission around the moon and back. They are scheduled to return to Earth on Friday.
