MILLINGTON, Tenn. – When NASA’s Artemis II crew splashed down in the Pacific upon their return to Earth from their flight around the moon, U.S. Navy sailors stood ready to welcome them home.
Petty Officer 1st Class Laurel Lujano, a native of Wichita, Kansas, was among the sailors who supported the recovery of the crew and the Orion space capsule.
Lujano, a 2012 graduate of Kapaun Mt. Carmel Catholic High School, serves the U.S. Navy assigned to Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 23, which airlifted the Artemis II crew back to USS John P. Murtha for further evaluations and then back to land.
“My proudest accomplishment in the Navy has been this opportunity to be included in the Artemis II mission and contribute to an event that will outlive me,” Lujano said.
The skills and values needed to succeed in the Navy are similar to those found in Wichita.
“Some of the lessons I learned from my hometown that have stayed with me are to stay humble, work hard and keep your family close,” Lujano said.
Lujano joined the Navy seven years ago. Today, Lujano serves as an aviation machinist’s mate.
“I joined the Navy to be part of something bigger than myself,” Lujano said.
NASA’s Artemis II mission sent four astronauts – NASA’s Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and the Canadian Space Agency’s Jeremy Hansen – on a nearly 10-day flight around the moon in the Orion space capsule, marking the first time in more than 50 years that humans journeyed to deep space. The crew splashed down just after 5 p.m. (PDT) on April 10 in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego, where Navy sailors who had been training for this recovery mission were waiting aboard John P. Murtha.
In addition to transporting the crew, members of HSC-23 also provided NASA with imagery support from their MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopters by tracking the Orion space capsule as it traveled through Earth’s atmosphere.
Based at Naval Air Station North Island, California, the “Wildcards” of HSC-23 fly and maintain the MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopter, the Navy’s most advanced rotary wing sea combat platform. The Navy MH-60S is able to perform many different missions, but some of the most common operations include airborne mine countermeasures, anti-surface warfare, combat search and rescue, supply support and medical evacuations.
This year, the Navy is commemorating its contribution to the nation’s defense as the United States celebrates 250 years of independence. According to Navy officials, for more than 250 years, the Navy has sailed the globe defending freedom and protecting prosperity.
With 90% of global commerce traveling by sea and access to the internet relying on the security of undersea fiber-optic cables, Navy officials continue to emphasize that the prosperity of the United States is directly linked to recruiting and retaining talented people from across the rich fabric of America.
“Serving in the Navy means a lot to me,” Lujano said. “I get to meet people who I never would’ve met otherwise and have become my family. I get the opportunity to see the world through a specific lens that most people won’t get to experience. I get to learn how to be a leader.”
Lujano is grateful to others for helping make a Navy career possible.
“I want to thank my mom, Diana, my entire Kansas family, my dad, Joseph, and my entire Dallas family for the continued love and support they’ve always given me,” Lujano said. “I also want to send a shoutout to the Kansas City Chiefs. Chiefs Kingdom!”