The four astronauts of NASA's Artemis II mission have revived a poignant tradition from the Apollo era, proposing to name two small lunar craters after deeply personal touchstones as they complete humanity's first crewed journey to the Moon in over half a century.

Commander Reid Wiseman and his crew—currently on their return trajectory to Earth—asked mission control for permission to designate one fresh crater after their Orion capsule, named "Integrity," and another after Wiseman's late wife, according to reports from AsiaOne. The gesture echoes the actions of Apollo 8's crew in 1968, who became the first humans to orbit the Moon and similarly named lunar features after family members and mission milestones.

A Tradition Born in Lunar Orbit

The practice began during Apollo 8's historic Christmas Eve mission, when Commander Frank Borman, Jim Lovell, and Bill Anders circled the Moon ten times while broadcasting images and reflections back to Earth. That crew informally named craters they observed, including some after their children and spacecraft. While many of those names never received official recognition from the International Astronomical Union (IAU)—the body responsible for planetary nomenclature—the tradition became a cherished part of lunar exploration lore.

Artemis II represents the first crewed mission beyond low Earth orbit since Apollo 17 in 1972. The four-person crew launched aboard NASA's Space Launch System rocket and has spent the past week conducting a lunar flyby mission designed to test systems and procedures ahead of Artemis III's planned lunar landing.

The Science Behind the Sentiment

The craters proposed for naming are described as small and fresh—likely recent impact features that stand out against the Moon's heavily cratered surface. The lunar surface records billions of years of cosmic bombardment, with craters ranging from microscopic pits to massive basins hundreds of kilometers across.

Naming conventions for lunar features follow strict IAU guidelines. Craters are typically named after deceased scientists, scholars, and explorers who have contributed to their respective fields. However, smaller features—particularly those under 15 kilometers in diameter—can sometimes receive more informal designations, especially when proposed by astronauts who have directly observed them.

Whether the Artemis II crew's proposed names will gain official status remains to be seen. The IAU's approval process can take years and requires detailed documentation of the feature's location and characteristics. Many Apollo-era informal names never made it onto official maps, though they persist in mission transcripts and historical records.

Personal Stakes in Deep Space

Commander Wiseman's choice to honor his late wife adds a deeply human dimension to a mission defined by technological achievement and international cooperation. The psychological challenges of deep space exploration—including extended isolation from Earth and the profound experience of seeing our planet from lunar distances—have long been recognized by space agencies as critical factors in mission success.

NASA's Artemis program explicitly aims to build on Apollo's legacy while establishing a sustainable presence on and around the Moon. The program plans to land the first woman and first person of color on the lunar surface, with Artemis III currently targeting a landing in the Moon's south polar region, where permanently shadowed craters may harbor water ice.

Looking Forward

The Artemis II crew is expected to splash down in the Pacific Ocean in the coming days, concluding a mission that has tested the Orion spacecraft's life support systems, navigation capabilities, and heat shield under the extreme conditions of deep space flight. Their safe return will clear the way for Artemis III's more ambitious surface mission.

As humanity prepares to return to the Moon not just for flags and footprints but for sustained exploration, these personal gestures remind us that even our most ambitious technological endeavors remain fundamentally human undertakings. The craters that dot the lunar landscape—whether officially named or not—will carry forward the stories of those who dared to venture into the cosmic ocean.

For now, the proposed names await review, joining a long list of informal lunar designations that speak to the intimate relationship between explorers and the worlds they discover. Whether "Integrity" and Wiseman's tribute to his wife eventually appear on official lunar maps, they've already secured their place in the human story of lunar exploration.