How does the "Mersal" recover "Artemis 2"?

According to a report by Reference News on April 17, the U.S. magazine National Interest reported on April 13 that on the night of the 10th, the "Artemis 2" space mission successfully concluded, with the mission spacecraft splashing down in the Pacific Ocean. The astronauts spent a very short time in the water and were recovered by the USS John P. Murtha (LPD-26) amphibious dock landing ship just minutes after the splashdown.

What is an amphibious dock landing ship?

An amphibious dock landing ship, also known as a dock landing ship, is a type of vessel that can serve as an amphibious operations platform.

Since the early 1960s, the U.S. Navy has been using dock landing ships, and currently, there are 29 active dock landing ships and 11 similarly configured amphibious assault ships.

Dock landing ships have a unique design: they feature a flight deck for the takeoff and landing of helicopters and small aircraft, and a large transport chamber in the middle of the ship that can be flooded when necessary. Other submersible vehicles are typically housed in this chamber, and once the water level rises, they can leave the ship and enter the ocean without the need for more complex launch equipment.

The USS John P. Murtha is the 10th of the 13 existing San Antonio-class amphibious dock landing ships, having been commissioned in October 2016 and named after John P. Murtha. John P. Murtha was a senior congressman from Pennsylvania and a former U.S. Marine Corps member who served in the Vietnam War.

Why choose the Murtha?

The transport chamber of the Murtha may be the primary reason why NASA and the Department of Defense chose this vessel.

The crew did not flood the transport chamber to allow the amphibious vehicles to exit; instead, they flooded it to let the "Orion" spacecraft of Artemis 2 "float" into the chamber from the ocean. This way, the crew of the Murtha could safely recover the spacecraft without the need for heavy cranes, reducing the risk of damage to the vessel or spacecraft. The ship's flight deck also provided the necessary space for helicopters to rescue the astronauts.

Additionally, the ship's advanced communication equipment ensured real-time seamless coordination with NASA throughout the operation. The vessel is also equipped with medical facilities to conduct initial diagnostics and assessments of the astronauts. The astronauts had spent several days in a microgravity environment, posing risks of disorientation and excessive cardiovascular load, so immediate medical evaluation was necessary to ensure no abnormalities occurred.

How did the Murtha rescue the astronauts?

The Artemis 2 mission lasted a total of 10 days, traveling to and from the Moon and setting a new distance record for human spaceflight. The four-member crew, consisting of three Americans and one Canadian, re-entered the atmosphere in a controlled manner and splashed down in the ocean, where the U.S. Navy completed a comprehensive rescue and recovery operation near the coast of San Diego.

The Murtha successfully rescued the astronauts and recovered the Orion spacecraft within two hours of the splashdown. It deployed two MH-60S Seahawk helicopters to stabilize the spacecraft. Once the helicopters arrived, they extracted the astronauts from the spacecraft and transported them to the flight deck of the Murtha for medical checks. The entire rescue process was swift and efficient, minimizing medical risks.

Meanwhile, Navy divers from the explosive ordnance disposal team stabilized the spacecraft, secured it with rigging, and guided it into the Murtha.

The Murtha has operational advantages and serves as a multi-domain platform suitable for air, sea, and medical operations. Although the ship is specifically designed for amphibious operations, it is also well-suited for space recovery missions.

While NASA undertook the vast majority of the work, the recovery phase after splashdown remains a crucial part of space exploration. The Navy has been assisting with this operation since the early days of America's space program.

After conducting checks and assessments on the astronauts, the Murtha returned to Naval Base San Diego on April 11. The Orion spacecraft was offloaded for analysis, and its data will be used for future Artemis missions. The operation was executed flawlessly and coordinated effectively. Based on the rescue of the crew and the recovery of the spacecraft, the mission was deemed a success. (Translated by Tu Qi)