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The Artemis II astronauts will be retrieved from the Orion capsule and delivered to the medical bay aboard the US Navy’s USS John P. Murtha recovery vessel within two hours of splashdown, said Liliana Villarreal, NASA Artemis II landing and recovery director.
But why does this process take so long? A lot of things have to happen before the crew can exit the capsule.
Inside, the crew will be shutting down Orion’s systems and preparing for the hatch to be opened.
After splashdown, divers will assess the air and water surrounding the capsule to make sure that it’s safe to approach and help the crew exit Orion, ensuring there are no toxic substances like hyperbolic fuels and ammonia, Villarreal said. Then, the dive crew will open Orion’s hatch.
Medical officers will enter the capsule, one at a time for each crewmember, to assess how the astronauts are doing. The plan is to help them exit the capsule individually, beginning with Christina Koch, followed by Victor Glover, Jeremy Hansen and finally Reid Wiseman. But if any crewmember is impaired or in distress, they will be brought out first.
The astronauts will be brought out onto a raft attached to Orion called the “front porch,” then picked up via helicopter before being taken to the Navy ship.
The extraction process can take between 30 and 45 minutes in calm sea conditions, noted NASA Flight Controller Jeff Radigan.
“We need to do this calmly and methodically,” Radigan said. “Like any operation, you have to spend the right amount of time to make sure we do it successfully.”
