*** number of years ago we started this journey in our close knit astronaut family and we lost *** loved one. And there’s ***, there’s *** feature in *** really neat place on the moon, and it’s ***, it’s *** bright spot on the moon. And we would like to call it Carol.
Astronaut asks to name moon crater Carroll after crew member’s late wife: Watch the emotional moment
Four astronauts on the Artemis II moon flyby mission are making history and breaking barriers as they approach the halfway point of their 10-day mission on Monday.Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, and mission specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen on Monday surpassed Apollo 13’s 1970 distance record, reaching 248,655 miles away from Earth — or 158 miles above the lunar surface.Poignant momentMoments after breaking Apollo 13’s record, the astronauts asked permission to name two fresh lunar craters already observed. They proposed Integrity, their capsule’s name, and Carroll in honor of Wiseman’s wife, who died of cancer in 2020.”A number of years ago, we started this journey in our close-knit astronaut family, and we lost a loved one,” Hansen said. “And there’s a, there’s a feature in a really neat place on the moon.”Hansen continued: “It’s a bright spot on the moon. And we would like to call it Carroll.”Wiseman wept as Hansen put in the request to Mission Control, and all four astronauts embraced in tears.”Such a majestic view out here,” Wiseman radioed once he regained his composure and started taking pictures. The astronauts called down that they managed to capture the moon and Earth in the same shot, and provided a running commentary to scientists back in Houston on what they were seeing.Lunar flybyDuring the flyby on Monday, the three Americans and one Canadian were treated to never-before-seen views of the moon’s far side by eye, and also a solar eclipse. The crew temporarily lost contact with Mission Control as they swung behind the moon without stopping.They’re now on a path back toward Earth with a splashdown return set for Friday.
Four astronauts on the Artemis II moon flyby mission are making history and breaking barriers as they approach the halfway point of their 10-day mission on Monday.
Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, and mission specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen on Monday surpassed Apollo 13’s 1970 distance record, reaching 248,655 miles away from Earth — or 158 miles above the lunar surface.
Poignant moment
Moments after breaking Apollo 13’s record, the astronauts asked permission to name two fresh lunar craters already observed. They proposed Integrity, their capsule’s name, and Carroll in honor of Wiseman’s wife, who died of cancer in 2020.
“A number of years ago, we started this journey in our close-knit astronaut family, and we lost a loved one,” Hansen said. “And there’s a, there’s a feature in a really neat place on the moon.”
Hansen continued: “It’s a bright spot on the moon. And we would like to call it Carroll.”
Wiseman wept as Hansen put in the request to Mission Control, and all four astronauts embraced in tears.
“Such a majestic view out here,” Wiseman radioed once he regained his composure and started taking pictures. The astronauts called down that they managed to capture the moon and Earth in the same shot, and provided a running commentary to scientists back in Houston on what they were seeing.
Lunar flyby
During the flyby on Monday, the three Americans and one Canadian were treated to never-before-seen views of the moon’s far side by eye, and also a solar eclipse. The crew temporarily lost contact with Mission Control as they swung behind the moon without stopping.
They’re now on a path back toward Earth with a splashdown return set for Friday.
