Reid Wiseman and the rest of the Artemis II crew made sure to honor his late wife, Carroll Wiseman, in their lunar flyby mission. As the astronauts orbited the moon in April 2026, the team declared they had named a crater after Carroll.

“We would like to call it Carroll,” mission specialist Jeremy Hansen said. “A number of years ago, we started this journey, in our close-knit astronaut family, we lost a loved one. Her name was Carroll. The spouse of Reid. The mother of Katie and Ellie. And we would like to call it Carroll.”

After NASA shared the touching moment on social media, many wondered what had happened to Reid’s wife, Carroll. Learn the type of cancer she died from here.

Who Is Reid Wiseman?

Reid is the commander of NASA’s Artemis II lunar flyby mission. The naval aviator and astronaut was first selected by NASA in 2009 and had previously served as a Navy fighter pilot and test pilot.

How Long Were Reid Wiseman & His Wife, Carroll Wiseman, Married?

Reid and Carroll wed in 2003. They were married for 17 years before she died in 2020 at the age of 46.

What Happened to Reid Wiseman’s Wife, Carroll? Her Cancer Type Explained

Carroll, a registered nurse, died after a five-year battle with breast cancer in 2020. She and Reid did not make her health issues public, so it’s unclear at what stage of cancer she was diagnosed with.

Do Reid Wiseman & His Late Wife, Carroll, Have Children?

Yes, Carroll is survived by her two children, daughters Katie and Ellie, whom Reid is raising on his own. According to NASA, the astronaut “considers his time as an only parent as his greatest challenge and the most rewarding phase of his life.”

But before he embarked on NASA’s Artemis II launch in April 2026, Reid prepared his daughters for his potential death if the moon mission had failed.

“I told them, ‘Here’s where the will is, here’s where the trust documents are, and if anything happens to me, here’s what’s going to happen to you,’” Reid explained. “I actually wish more people in everyday life talked to their families in that way because you never know what the next day is going to bring.”