\t\t\t\t\t17<\/p>\n
Artemis II Splashdown:\u00a0When the Artemis II capsule splashes down in the Pacific Ocean after its 10-day lunar journey, the first face the four astronauts will see will not belong to a NASA official. It will belong to a U.S. Navy diver. Lieutenant Commander Jesse Wang and his three-member medical team will be the ones to open the Orion capsule, make initial health assessments, and help Christina Koch, Jeremy Hansen, Reid Wiseman and Victor Glover step back onto Earth.<\/p>\n
Training for this moment has taken years. The four Navy medics have practiced every step of the recovery process, from entering the bobbing capsule to providing emergency care if something goes wrong. They are certified divers and specialists in decompression illnesses, making them uniquely qualified for a mission that involves both spaceflight and open-sea recovery.<\/p>\n
Artemis II Splashdown:\u00a0Who Are the Four Navy Medics?<\/p>\n
Wang, assigned to Explosive Ordnance Disposal Group 1, leads the team. He is a board-certified emergency medicine doctor who completed his residency at Lincoln Hospital in the Bronx, New York. He joined the Navy in 2021 and became an undersea medical officer in 2024. \u201cIt is the honor of a lifetime to stand here today, ready to provide the absolute best care to the Artemis II crew,\u201d Wang said.<\/p>\n
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Senior Chief Hospital Corpsman Laddy Aldridge, from Cushing, Oklahoma, will be the first person to make contact with the astronauts. Assigned to Explosive Ordnance Disposal Expeditionary Support Unit 1, he will open the capsule, enter the space and begin medical assessments. \u201cComing from three generations of military service in my family, I\u2019m honored to serve as the senior dive independent duty corpsman for this mission,\u201d Aldridge said.<\/p>\n
Chief Hospital Corpsman Vlad Link, from Chelsea, Massachusetts, has 18 years of experience in dive medicine. Assigned to Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit 1, he said the Artemis mission is already a highlight of his career. \u201cContributing our efforts to NASA and the Artemis II mission is something we take great pride in,\u201d Link said.<\/p>\n
Hospital Corpsman 1st Class Steve Kapala, from Alpena, Michigan, has practiced dive medicine since 2018. Assigned to EOD Mobile Unit 11, he grew up reading science fiction never imagining he would play a role in a real space recovery. \u201cIt is surreal to play a part in safely recovering the astronauts from the capsule to get them home safe to their families,\u201d Kapala said.<\/p>\n
Artemis II Splashdown:\u00a0What Happens After Splashdown?<\/p>\n
Following Orion\u2019s reentry into Earth\u2019s atmosphere and splashdown, the Navy dive medical team will enter the capsule to conduct initial exams, provide triage care if needed and assist the astronauts onto an inflatable raft set up by Navy divers. The crew will then be airlifted by Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 23 back to the amphibious transport dock USS John P. Murtha for follow-up evaluations.<\/p>\n
Each medic has been assigned to a specific astronaut for one-on-one assistance: Wang will help Koch, Aldridge will assist Hansen, Link will support Wiseman and Kapala will aid Glover.<\/p>\n
Artemis II Splashdown:\u00a0Why Are Navy Dive Medics Doing This Job?<\/p>\n
Navy dive medical personnel are certified divers with specialized training in decompression illnesses and other undersea medical conditions. Their regular job is to ensure dive-qualified service members are safe to conduct underwater operations. That same expertise makes them ideal for space capsule recovery, where astronauts may need medical attention after spending days in microgravity.<\/p>\n
The team is part of a larger recovery effort that includes Navy divers, the helicopter squadron and ship personnel. \u201cOur fellow divers, the Sailors on the ship, the helicopter squadron, our partners at NASA, and everyone supporting this mission are ready to bring the Artemis II crew home,\u201d Wang said. \u201cThis team is undoubtedly making history.\u201d<\/p>\n
FAQs: Artemis II Splashdown \u2013 Navy Dive Medical Team
\nQ: Who will be the first to greet the Artemis II astronauts?<\/p>\n
A: Senior Chief Hospital Corpsman Laddy Aldridge will open the capsule and be the first to make contact with the crew.<\/p>\n
Q: How many Navy medics are on the recovery team?<\/p>\n
A: Four. They are Lt. Cmdr. Jesse Wang, Senior Chief Laddy Aldridge, Chief Vlad Link and Hospital Corpsman 1st Class Steve Kapala.<\/p>\n
Q: What is their regular Navy job?<\/p>\n
A: They are dive medical personnel who care for dive-qualified service members and treat decompression illnesses.<\/p>\n
Q: Where will the splashdown happen?<\/p>\n
A: In the Pacific Ocean. The USS John P. Murtha is the recovery ship.<\/p>\n
Q: How will the astronauts be transported after recovery?<\/p>\n
A: They will be airlifted by Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 23 to the USS John P. Murtha for medical evaluations.<\/p>\n
Q: What did the team say about the mission?<\/p>\n
A: Wang called it \u201cthe honor of a lifetime.\u201d Kapala said it is \u201csurreal\u201d to play a part in bringing the astronauts home.<\/p>\n
Disclaimer: This information is based on inputs from news agency reports. TSG does not independently confirm the information provided by the relevant sources.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"17 Artemis II Splashdown:\u00a0When the Artemis II capsule splashes down in the Pacific Ocean after its 10-day lunar…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":373629,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[120514,194953,194954,194955,194956,194957,194958,3323,194959,194960,111,139,69,194961,194962,147,392,194963,194964,194967,194965,194966],"class_list":{"0":"post-373628","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-space","8":"tag-artemis-ii","9":"tag-artemis-ii-splashdown","10":"tag-first-to-greet-astronauts","11":"tag-jesse-wang","12":"tag-jesse-wang-lead","13":"tag-laddy-aldridge","14":"tag-laddy-aldridge-first-contact","15":"tag-nasa","16":"tag-navy-dive-medics","17":"tag-navy-dive-medics-artemis-ii","18":"tag-new-zealand","19":"tag-newzealand","20":"tag-nz","21":"tag-orion-capsule-recovery","22":"tag-pacific-ocean-splashdown","23":"tag-science","24":"tag-space","25":"tag-steve-kapala","26":"tag-steve-kapala-surreal-mission","27":"tag-uss-john-p-murtha","28":"tag-vlad-link","29":"tag-vlad-link-18-years-experience"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/373628","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=373628"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/373628\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/373629"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=373628"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=373628"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=373628"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}