About this episode

Sean Sondergaard discusses the historic Artemis II astronaut recovery mission and the role of Navy Aviation Rescue Swimmers.

When NASA's Orion capsule splashed down in the Pacific off the coast of San Diego, four astronauts came home from the Moon for the first time in over 50 years. And right there—feet from the capsule, voice on the radio, eyes on every moving piece—was a U.S. Navy Aviation Rescue Swimmer. In this episode of Calm in the Chaos, Sean “Sondy” Sondergaard takes us inside one of the most historic recovery missions in modern naval aviation history—the Artemis II astronaut recovery. From the safety boat positioned right next to the Orion capsule, Sean was coordinating communications between the divers, the helicopters, the recovery ship USS John P. Murtha, and NASA's Landing and Recovery team as Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen were brought home from lunar orbit. But Artemis II is just one chapter. Sean shares what it takes to earn the wings of a Navy Aviation Rescue Swimmer, the missions that shaped him, and what it felt like to be part of a team trusted by NASA to bring astronauts safely back to Earth. In this episode: Inside the Artemis II splashdown and recovery operation What it's like to be in the safety boat next to the Orion capsule Coordinating…

People in this episode

Host: Brian Dickinson

Guest: Sean Sondergaard

Topics covered

• NASA recovery missions
• Aviation Rescue Swimmers
• Artemis II splashdown
• Astronaut recovery
• Naval aviation history
• Training for rescue missions

Keywords

• Artemis II
• NASA
• astronaut recovery
• Aviation Rescue Swimmer
• USS John P. Murtha
• splashdown
• naval aviation
• training
• HSC-23

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: NASA, USS John P. Murtha, HSC-23

Places: Pacific, San Diego

More episodes of Calm in the Chaos - U.S. Navy Aviation Rescue Swimmer Podcast

• Navy Rescue Swimmer Collin Koss – Multiple Rescues, F/A-18 Ejection, and the Journey to Officer · July 16, 2026 · 1h 7m
• 20 Years, Parkinson’s Diagnosis & a Door Through the Rotors | Aviation Rescue Swimmer Kevin McNease · June 3, 2026 · 60 min
• Hoisted Down to the Orion Capsule | Artemis II Astronaut Recovery Rescue Swimmer Chris Upton | Ep. 60 · May 4, 2026 · 48 min

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