Artemis II Crew Honors Loved Ones by Proposing Personal Names for Lunar Craters

The four astronauts of NASA's Artemis II mission are following a storied Apollo tradition by proposing heartfelt, personal names for lunar craters they will fly past on humanity's first crewed return to the Moon in decades.

The crew has submitted formal proposals to name one crater after their Orion spacecraft, Integrity, and another after a loved one, echoing the deeply personal gesture made by the Apollo 8 crew in 1968 when they named lunar features after family members and mission milestones during the first crewed voyage around the Moon.

The tradition underscores the profound emotional weight carried by astronauts venturing into deep space. For the Artemis II crew — NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, along with Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen — the mission represents not just a technical achievement but a personal journey shared with those they hold dear.

Naming rights for lunar features are governed by the International Astronomical Union, which must approve any proposed designations. The Artemis II crew's submissions are currently awaiting that official review and authorization before the names can be formally recognized.

The Artemis II mission is expected to loop around the Moon without landing, serving as a critical test of the Orion spacecraft and Space Launch System before future missions attempt a lunar surface landing. The crew will travel farther from Earth than any humans since the final Apollo mission in 1972.

The gesture highlights the deeply human dimension of space exploration, reminding the world that behind every technical milestone are individuals driven by love, memory, and connection — carrying pieces of home with them to the edges of the cosmos.