Dr. Kjell Lindgren, deputy director of NASA’s Flight Operations Directorate and a veteran astronaut, described the Artemis II splashdown as “picture perfect,” recounting the moment he watched with the astronauts’ families and friends.
Lindgren said the mission began with an “amazing launch” 10 days earlier and included an emotional trip around the far side of the moon. He praised the weather and sea state at splashdown and said the spacecraft landed exactly where planned.
Multiple milestones had to go right for a safe return, Lindgren explained: reacquiring communications, seeing drogue and main parachutes deploy, and watching the capsule hit the water. Recovery steps continued after splashdown — flotation bags and uplifts to keep the capsule upright, fast boats approaching, divers rigging an inflatable porch, and preparing helicopters to lift the crew to the recovery ship, the Navy’s Murtha. He emphasized teams would be methodical because leftover maneuvering fuel can be hazardous and crews need the environment declared safe before divers and medics approach.
On reentry, Lindgren described what the astronauts feel physically: exposure to multiple g-forces as the spacecraft decelerates from orbital speed to splashdown. He said the crew experienced about 4 Gs and that spacecraft orientation puts force against the chest, making breathing harder for a short time. Training on centrifuges helps crews adapt. He compared splashdown jolt and buoyant rise to a steep water ride, and noted crews are monitored for parachute and flotation system performance.
Lindgren described watching the splashdown from the viewing gallery behind the control room with family and friends, including classmates and close friends among the crewmembers — Commander Reid Wiseman and Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen — and others such as Christina and Victor Glover. He called the moment tense but filled with trust in the international workforce that built and operated the systems. He said many teams — mission control, engineering, health and safety — had worked together over decades on spacecraft and launch systems.
He stressed that while splashdown and initial recovery are major milestones, the mission is not complete until the crew are out of the capsule, flown by helicopter and aboard the recovery ship, and finally reunited with their families. Lindgren said there are many “sighs of relief” along the way, and that the formal sigh of relief comes when the astronauts are back home with loved ones.