Four U.S. Navy divers were the first faces to greet NASA’s Artemis 2 astronauts when they splashed down in the Pacific Ocean after their historic journey around the moon this month.
The dive medical team — Lt. Cmdr. Jesse Wang, Senior Chief Hospital Corpsman Laddy Aldridge, Chief Hospital Corpsman Vlad Link and Hospital Corpsman 1st Class Steve Kapala — became the first people ever to enter NASA’s Orion spacecraft at sea to assist a returning lunar crew.
Operating from the USS John P. Murtha, the dive team served as the critical first point of contact between spaceflight and recovery. They were tasked with opening the Orion spacecraft — which the Artemis 2 astronauts named “Integrity” — making initial medical assessments of the crew and helping them exit the capsule safely and efficiently, according to a statement from the U.S. military’s Defense Visual Information Distribution Service (DVIDS).
The divers’ role marked a new step for Artemis missions. While Navy divers have long supported astronaut recoveries dating back to the Apollo program, Artemis 2 introduced a dedicated dive medical team trained to enter the Orion capsule itself. Each corpsman was assigned to one of the four astronauts — NASA’s Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and the Canadian Space Agency‘s Jeremy Hansen — providing immediate health checks and helping guide them out of the spacecraft.
“Jesse, Steve, Laddy and Vlad … such an incredible feeling to welcome you aboard Integrity after a nearly 700,000-mile journey,” Wiseman, the Artemis 2 commander, said in an April 13 post on X. “Forever thankful for your service to our crew and the nation.”
Wiseman’s post included a video highlighting the impact of those first moments back on Earth, as the dive team opened the Orion spacecraft and welcomed the Artemis 2 crew home.
Jesse, Steve, Laddy, and Vlad….such an incredible feeling to welcome you aboard Integrity after a nearly 700,000 mile journey. Forever thankful for your service to our crew and the nation. pic.twitter.com/lJzNPkBIpq
The operation unfolded quickly after Artemis 2’s April 10 splashdown off the California coast. Recovery teams secured Integrity, attached flotation collars and stabilized the capsule in open water. Once it was safe to proceed, Aldridge opened the hatch and climbed inside, becoming the first person to greet the crew after their 10-day mission around the moon. Inside the capsule, the team assessed the astronauts’ condition following exposure to microgravity, radiation and the stresses of reentry, before assisting them onto a platform outside.
From there, the astronauts were hoisted into helicopters and transported to the Murtha for further evaluation, completing one of the most complex and carefully choreographed phases of the mission.
“As a proud member of the undersea medical community, I am particularly humbled to play a part in this mission,” Wang, who served as the lead for the four-man dive team, said in the DVIDS statement. “It is the honor of a lifetime to stand here today, ready to provide the absolute best care to the Artemis 2 crew.”
Aiding the Artemis 2 crew was the culmination of years of preparation. Navy dive medical technicians are trained in both advanced diving operations and emergency medicine, with expertise in handling patients in extreme environments. For Artemis 2, the team rehearsed extensively with Orion mockups in open water, practicing every step of the recovery sequence alongside other military units and NASA personnel.
Although their role lasts only minutes, it is one of the most critical parts of any human spaceflight mission. Splashdown and recovery present unique risks, requiring precise coordination to ensure both crew safety and spacecraft integrity, according to the statement.
“I grew up reading sci-fi novels and watching space movies, never thinking that I would play a part in a recovery mission like this,” said Kapala, who provided care for Glover, pilot of the Artemis 2 mission, during the ocean recovery. “It is surreal to play a part in safely recovering the astronauts from the capsule to get them home safe to their families, an effort that really makes you realize this team is bigger than just the four of us.”
As NASA pushes forward with its Artemis program and plans for future lunar landings, the work of recovery teams remains an essential link in the chain of space exploration. For these four Navy divers, their historic contribution came not in space, but in the ocean, where they became the first faces a new generation of moon voyagers saw upon their return home.