NASA simulates dramatic ocean rescue in Florida for Artemis crew in case of emergencies

NASA is preparing for every possibility, including a dramatic ocean rescue, as it gets ready to launch the Artemis II mission around the Moon.

While the hope is for a smooth journey from lift-off to splashdown, spaceflight always carries risks.

That’s why the agency recently ran full-scale emergency drills to practice rescuing astronauts in the event of a launch failure.

The goal? Making sure that if anything goes wrong, the crew can be brought home safely and swiftly.

VISIT SBX CARS – View live supercar auctions powered by Supercar Blondie

NASA conducting simulated drills for Artemis II

Earlier this month, NASA teamed up with the U.S. Department of Defense to rehearse what would happen if the Artemis II mission runs into trouble during launch.

On June 11 and 12, NASA ran two separate drills mimicking worst-case scenarios: one where the Orion spacecraft has to abort while still on the launch pad, and another where it aborts during ascent.

In both cases, the crew (or in this case, high-tech mannequins) would land in the Atlantic Ocean and wait to be rescued.

To simulate the ocean rescues, NASA didn’t actually launch anything.

After all, anything to do with space is extremely expensive, as evident by how a NASA astronaut’s spacesuit costs the same as a Lamborghini Huracán.

Instead, they used a stand-in version of the Orion capsule, called the Crew Module Test Article, and carefully placed it in the water at distances of five and twelve miles off the Florida coast.

Once the mock capsule was in place, U.S. Navy helicopters and a C-17 aircraft from the U.S. Air Force swooped in.

From the air, military pararescuers jumped into the ocean, swam to the capsule, and began the rescue.

On the first day, the mannequins were retrieved and brought aboard the helicopters for ‘medical care’.

The second day’s scenario ended with rescuers reaching the test capsule, but stopping short of recovery.

First time in 54 years man will land on the Moon

These ocean rescue rehearsals come ahead of the Artemis II mission, scheduled to launch in April 2026 from Kennedy Space Center.

The mission will involve four astronauts: Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Hammock Koch, and Jeremy Hansen.

The group will embark on a 10-day journey around the Moon and back.

It’s a critical test run before astronauts land on the Moon during Artemis III, currently planned for 2027.

This is pretty historic, given that it will be the first time in almost 54 years that humans will land on the moon.

In fact, the spacecraft that’s meant to take the group to the moon has recently powered on, marking a major milestone.

The crew will travel about 230,000 miles away, even overshooting the Moon by 6,400 miles, travelling further from Earth than any humans before them. The post NASA simulates dramatic ocean rescue in Florida for Artemis crew in case of emergencies appeared first on Supercar Blondie.