Artemis II Crew Proposes Naming Moon Crater for Late Wife of Commander Reid Wiseman

The crew of the Artemis II mission proposed naming a moon crater in honor of the late wife of mission commander Reid Wiseman. The suggestion was made by the astronauts during preparations for the upcoming lunar orbit flight. Artemis II marks NASA's first crewed mission under the Artemis program since Apollo 17 in 1972.

The crew consists of members from NASA and the Canadian Space Agency. This event occurred as part of mission training and public engagements.

Washington Times reported that the astronauts proposed the crater naming specifically for Wiseman's late wife. No additional details on the specific crater location or formal submission process were provided in available sources. The proposal reflects personal tributes within the context of space exploration.

aims to send the crew on a mission around the Moon without landing.

The Orion spacecraft will be launched atop NASA's Space Launch System rocket. The mission builds on the uncrewed Artemis I test flight in 2022, which successfully orbited the Moon.

Artemis II will test the spacecraft's systems with humans aboard, paving the way for future landings. International partners, including Canada, contribute to the program through hardware and personnel. The inclusion of a Canadian astronaut represents Canada's role in the Artemis Accords, a framework for cooperative lunar exploration.

This mission underscores ongoing NASA-CSA collaboration.

The crew underwent joint training at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. Their diverse backgrounds support the mission's scientific and operational goals. The crater naming proposal adds a human element to the technical mission.

Sentdefender noted the crew's appearance in front of the Orion capsule, emphasizing the visual of the astronauts with the spacecraft. Such events help build public interest in the Artemis program.