There are some kinds of love that don’t really fit into words, no matter how many times we try to explain them.
The kind that quietly becomes part of who you are, that doesn’t end neatly just because time says it should, that stays in small habits, in memories you didn’t realise you were holding onto, and sometimes… in places you never imagined it could reach.
And every once in a while, a story comes along that doesn’t try to explain that kind of love, but somehow shows it in a way that feels almost impossible to ignore.
This is one of those stories.
Earlier this month, as part of NASA’s Artemis II mission, a crew of astronauts found themselves doing something that still feels almost unreal even in today’s world, something that has been decades in the making and carries with it the weight of history, science, and human curiosity all at once – they were orbiting the Moon.
Not looking at it from a distance, not observing it through instruments from Earth, but actually there, moving through space, circling the far side of the Moon in a spacecraft that carried not just technology and training, but the lives, memories, and emotions of the people inside it.
Commander Reid Wiseman was there, along with Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen, each of them representing years of preparation and dedication, each of them carrying their own personal worlds into a place where everything else feels stripped down to its most essential form.
And somewhere in the middle of that journey, in that quiet, weightless space where time feels different and the world below feels far away, something happened that had nothing to do with the mission itself, and everything to do with being human.
As the spacecraft passed over the Moon’s surface, the crew looked down at a landscape that has remained unchanged for millions of years, filled with craters that have been named and recorded, studied and mapped, and yet still hold a kind of mystery that doesn’t really fade.
Among those craters was one that had not yet been officially named, a small, quiet space on the Moon waiting, in a way, to be given meaning.
And in that moment, the crew made a decision that didn’t come from protocol or necessity, but from something far more personal.
They asked if they could name that crater “Carroll,” not after a figure from history or science, not after a mission or an achievement, but after someone who had been deeply loved and deeply missed.
Carroll was the late wife of Commander Reid Wiseman, who had passed away in 2020 after a long battle with cancer, and in that moment, her name traveled farther than it ever had before, carried not just by memory, but by intention, by the quiet agreement of the people around him who understood what that name meant.
What makes this story stay with you isn’t just the act itself, but the way it unfolded in that small, confined space where everything becomes more real, where emotions don’t have the same room to hide behind routine or distraction.
The crew spoke about her, not in a formal way, but in the kind of way people talk about someone who mattered, someone who had been part of their lives in ways that go beyond words, someone whose absence is still present in quiet, everyday ways.
We’ve all heard that phrase before.
“I love you to the moon and back.”
It’s something people say without really thinking about what it means, something that sounds beautiful but abstract, almost like a metaphor that lives only in words.
But in that moment, it stopped being just a phrase.
Because somewhere between Earth and the Moon, a group of astronauts decided to carry someone’s memory far beyond where it had ever physically been, and place it onto the surface of the Moon itself — not in a dramatic way, not for attention, but in a quiet gesture that felt deeply human.
A name, etched into something that will outlast all of us.
A reminder, sitting there in silence, long after the mission is over, long after the spacecraft has returned, long after the world has moved on to the next story.
It’s easy to look at space missions as something distant, something technical, something that belongs to scientists and engineers and history books.
But moments like this pull it back into something very human.
Because at the end of it all, even in a spacecraft orbiting the Moon, people are still people.
They carry love. They carry loss. They carry memories that don’t stay behind on Earth.
And sometimes, without planning it, those memories find a way to become part of something much bigger.
This isn’t the kind of kindness we usually talk about. No one was being rescued. No one was being helped in the traditional sense.
But there is something deeply kind about remembering someone in that way, about making sure they are not forgotten, about carrying them with you even to a place as distant as the Moon.
Because maybe kindness isn’t always about what we do for people who are in front of us. Maybe sometimes it’s about how we continue to hold space for the ones who are no longer here.
If you really think about it, there’s something quietly overwhelming about the idea that somewhere on the Moon, there may soon be a crater carrying the name of someone who was loved deeply enough to be remembered in that way, not as a symbol or a gesture for the world, but as something personal, something real, something that didn’t need to be shared but was anyway.
And maybe that’s what makes this stay with you longer than expected.
Because in a universe that is unimaginably vast, where everything can feel small and temporary and distant, someone chose to make a moment feel permanent, not through something grand or complicated, but through something as simple, and as meaningful, as a name.
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That was such a poignant moment. I get goosebumps just thinking about it. The love and respect the Artemis II astronauts have for each other is something we can all learn from. Four diverse individuals who came together to achieve something beautiful and inspired hope for so many. The moon shines a little brighter for all of us this week. And I’m sure Carroll is beaming with pride.
Thank you so much, Michelle. That line of yours "the moon shines a little brighter for all of us this week" I genuinely didn't expect to feel something reading a comment, but here we are. You're right, there's something about the way those four came together that felt bigger than the mission itself. And yes, I have no doubt Carroll is beaming. 🌙
This is a beautiful example of love on many levels. Thank you for sharing this. ❤️
That it is, on so many levels. Thank you for reading and for leaving this here. ❤️
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What a beautiful post honoring the love of Reid Wiseman and his wife, Carroll and the crew's decision to capture that love in that tiny, intimate capsule by naming the crater after her. Reid and Carroll's daughters will forever look up at the moon thinking of their mom and feeling so proud. I love this story, too. Thanks, Ritish.
Melanie, the way you put that - the tiny, intimate capsule
that's exactly what it was. A giant spacecraft making history, and inside it, something so small and personal and human. And yes, their daughters will carry this story with them for the rest of their lives 🌕❤️
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Wonderful story, Ritish. Many of your stories take us back in history, but I like the change of pace of highlighting one that just happened. I had not heard of this part of the story until now. The video is incredibly touching and speaks to the bond that the astronauts form with one another. Any idea how old Commander Wiseman's children are? Imagine passing down this story to their children one day.
Thank you, Pete. Yeah, I’ve been trying to mix in more of these recent stories. And to actually answer your question, I've looked into and found that Wiseman's daughters are 20 and 17 years old. Nothing very detailed has been shared about them, which makes sense given how private families try to keep things, but even then, like you said, just imagining them growing up with this story.
Thank you Ritish for this beautiful and inspiring perspective of a kindness that is everlasting
Keep Looking Up ^ .. His Best is Yet to Come!
Thanks Fred. It sure is everlasting ❤️🌕
Ah, this one touched my heart. Ritish ❤️ you have a gift for finding the stories that matter. Keep this Kindness Report going, please
hey thanks Dagfinn. Really glad to know you're enjoying this series. Thank you ❤️
This was such an incredible moment to witness and watch and then to read it here with your words of honor and wisdom truly touch the heart. Their gift of honoring her name is one that brings the invisible visible in the most wonderful of ways. Thank you for highlighting such an incredible gift that we can all share in our hearts remembering this beautiful proclamation. Thanks for sharing, Ritish.💕❣️💗
Bringing the invisible visible - yes, that's exactly it. That's the whole story in four words and you just said it better than I did in a thousand. Thank you for this Cindy💕
YES and No Never.. you said it perfectly my friend! 💗💗💗
This gives me such hope...reading this beautiful piece. I fear my "news avoidance" cuts me off from heartfelt moments like this one. Grateful to you for sharing, Ritish. You are doing a great service for many, my friend. Appreciate you! 💝💝💝
Honestly Vicki, news avoidance is probably the healthiest thing a person can do right now. That's kind of why we started the Kindness Report. Really glad this one found you. Appreciate you being here. 💝
All that love back to both of you! ❤️
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That's a wonderful gesture of kindness, also it's how you left a mark on people's lives, doesn't have to be a large group of people, many didn't know her, but the mark she left on the few she is interacted with, is now going to reverberate and have a ripple effect throughout history. We don't know how purposeful we are, what we do for a stranger may change lives for many
This. This right here. You're right , Carroll didn't need to be known by millions for her life to matter to millions. The ripple effect of just one life, lived with love, touching a few people deeply. And now her name is on the moon. That's everything.
It's wonderful that the crew respected Commander Reid Wiseman so much that they named that crater with the name of his deceased wife, Caroll, and fantastic that you posted it, Ritish.
That respect between the crew is what gets me every time I think about it. That kind of loyalty is something else. Thank you for reading 🌕
My pleasure, Ritish. 😍
Oh, Ritish, this story goes straight to the heart. It brought tears of varied emotions. A lovely story of kindness. My daughter and I always say, "Love you to the moon and back" and now this phrase has a whole new meaning. The video was touching too. Thanks for sharing, and have a wonderful weekend. ❤️
Lauren this made me smile so much. That phrase between you and your daughter, yes it just got a whole new layer to it now❤️ I guess now every time you say it going forward, there's a crater on the moon with someone's name on it proving it can actually be true. That's wild and beautiful at the same time. ❤️
Thank you for highlighting this important part of the moon orbit journey.
It really was, Faye. And it almost got lost in all the bigger headlines. Glad it didn't. Thank you for reading. 🌙
So beautiful, Ritish! I love the way you tied it to “love you to the moon and back.” This kindness series is wonderful and so needed!
thank you for saying that Wynne. And the series is only going because of people like you who show up for it. Means more than you know. 🤍
You are such a kind, generous writer, Ritish, and this story is a beautiful example of that. The fact that you included the love phrase is icing on the cake! Keep up the positive reporting!☀️
You're very kind to say those words, Lisa. I'm grateful you're loving this series of the kindness report.
At a time when we seem to be surrounded by so much that is negative, a beautiful story like this means even more. Thank you, Ritish, for sharing it, 🌝
They do Cheryl. It remind me of the quote, "Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times".
Thankyou for sharing your beautiful words.