Michigan man will be among first to welcome Artemis crew back to Earth

NASA's Artemis II mission is heading back to Earth for its crew's historic return Friday, April 10, and a northern Michigan native is part of the U.S. Navy response team that will welcome them.

The Artemis II crew is expected to return to Earth at 8:07 p.m. ET Friday evening, April 10, with a water landing in the Pacific Ocean, about 60 miles off the coast of San Diego, California.

Upon returning, the four-member crew will be greeted by a U.S. navy dive medical team, including Hospital Corpsman 1st Class Steve Kapala, of Alpena, Michigan, a member of the team that will open the Orion capsule upon its return to Earth, the U.S. Navy said in a release.

"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,” Kapala said in the release. “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.”

Here's what to know about the Michigan U.S. Navy sailor on the Artemis II return response.

Who is the Michigan sailor assisting Artemis II crew?

U.S. Navy Hospital Corpsman 1st Class Steve Kapala, a native of Alpena, Michigan, is a member of the dive medical team responding to the return of the Artemis II crew Friday evening, April 10, the U.S. Navy release said.

Kapala is trained in dive medicine and has practiced dive medicine since 2018, the U.S. Navy said.

The three other team members are Lt. Commander Jesse Wang, Senior Chief Hospital Corpsman Laddy Aldridge and Chief Hospital Corpsman Vlad Link, the U.S. Navy said.

What is a Navy hospital corpsman?

A U.S. Navy hospital corpsman is a sailor who performs medical work, including vaccinations, emergency surgeries dental operations, lab sample analysis and beyond, the U.S. Navy's website says.

What is Artemis II?

Artemis II is a 10-day, record-breaking mission that saw the spacecraft circle the moon and reach farther into space than any other manned craft. The crew is aboard the Orion capsule.

On April 6, the Artemis II crew — pilot Victor Glover, commander Reid Wiseman, mission specialist Christina Koch, and mission specialist Jeremy Hansen — aboard the Orion capsule known as "Integrity," broke the record for human spaceflight's farthest distance at 248,655 miles from Earth, which was previously set by the Apollo 13 mission in 1970.

After setting distance records and checking off their mission goals, including a lunar fly-by, the crew will finish its 10-day voyage Friday night, April 10.

When is Artemis II returning?

At approximately 8:07 p.m. ET Friday, April 10, the Orion capsule and its four-person crew will reenter Earth's atmosphere for a water landing in the Pacific Ocean, about 60 miles off the coast of San Diego, California.

What does the U.S. Navy's dive medical team do?

The U.S. Navy's four-member dive medical team will be the first to open the Orion capsule when it returns to Earth, prepared by years of training, the U.S. Navy said. The team will then do initial medical assessments on the Artemis II crew and help them exit the capsule, the U.S. Navy said.

NASA's Orion spacecraft floats in the Pacific Ocean after splashdown from its first flight test in Earth orbit in 2014. NASA, the U.S. Navy and Lockheed Martin coordinate efforts to recover Orion and secure the spacecraft in the well deck of the USS Anchorage.

Then, the team will help the Artemis II crew into an inflatable raft set up by Navy divers, before first-contact medical providers prepare the crew for airlift by Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 23 to the amphibious transport dock USS John P. Murtha for further evaluations, the U.S. Navy said.

"Often working in expeditionary warfare communities, Navy dive medical personnel are certified divers and undergo specialized training, making them experts in decompression illnesses and other undersea medical considerations. Their mission is to care for and ensure dive-qualified service members are safe to conduct diving operations," the U.S. Navy release stated.

Where is the Navy dive medical team now?

The U.S. Navy dive medical team is currently on the USS John P. Murtha in the Pacific Ocean ahead of the Artemis II crew's return, the Navy said.

The ship is part of the U.S. 3rd Fleet area of operations that will help in the crew's return.

What is the USS John P. Murtha?

The John P. Murtha (LPD 26) is the tenth San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ship and is named in honor of Congressman John P. Murtha (1932-2010), a former United States Marine Corps officer, elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1974.

The first ship in the class, the USS San Antonio, was built with 7.5 tons of steel salvaged from the World Trade Center, the Navy said.

Artemis II tracker map live

You can track Artemis II as the mission returns to Earth using NASA's trackers found below:

• NASA’s website (www.nasa.gov/trackartemis)
• The NASA app (www.nasa.gov/nasa-app)

Lansing State Journal contributed.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan man will be among first to welcome Artemis crew back to Earth