The four Artemis II crew members — commander Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen — emerged from NASA’s Orion capsule after the spacecraft’s successful splashdown and recovery operations, marking the end of the historic crewed mission that flew around the moon.
Recovery teams and Navy divers assisted the astronauts as they left the capsule and moved onto the detachable “front porch” recovery platform attached to Orion. Retired Lt. Col. David Mann, a former commander involved in planning rescue and recovery of astronauts, explained that divers and medics guided the crewmembers out, helped them into harnesses and sat them on the front porch for initial medical checks before they were hoisted by helicopter to the USS John P. Murtha. Mann noted that the extraction process takes time because teams make sure each astronaut is stable before hoisting.
CBS News cameras showed the crew members crawling onto the front porch, sitting down and being prepared for hoist operations. The front porch also helped stabilize the spacecraft during the extraction. Once cleared by recovery medical teams, the astronauts were expected to be flown by helicopter to the ship and then to San Diego’s North Island Naval Station for further medical evaluations. From there they may travel on to Houston, depending on medical clearances and the crew’s preferences.
Derrick Pitts, chief astronomer at the Franklin Institute, noted that the crew would be checked for the effects of exposure to microgravity and the stresses of reentry and splashdown. Medical personnel planned to take vitals, blood and saliva samples, and conduct cognitive-function testing to assess how the body and brain are readjusting after days in microgravity. The onboard and shipboard medical teams also perform routine checks before astronauts meet families who have been watching from a distance.
CBS News correspondent Carter Evans described scenes of relief on the recovery raft and helicopters circling overhead as the crew prepared to be hoisted to the recovery ship. He said the astronauts appeared healthy and in good spirits as they crossed to the front porch and awaited helicopter lifts.
Recovery procedures observed included use of collars and harnesses for helicopter extraction and the careful removal and tow-away of the front porch before each crewmember was hoisted individually. Those procedures are standard to ensure safe transfer from the capsule to the ship after splashdown.
The mission returned the crew safely to Earth after completing a lunar flyby. As the astronauts took their first breaths of fresh air and reconnected with ground teams, they were expected to undergo continued medical monitoring and then debriefings and interviews about their experiences, including seeing Earth from lunar distance — a moment many said would be personally profound.
Recovery operations and medical checks on the USS John P. Murtha were part of a coordinated effort by NASA and Department of Defense teams to ensure the crew’s health and to transport them home after a successful Artemis II mission.