Moultonborough, Intervale service members assist in Artemis II recovery mission

INTERVALE — A sailor from Intervale and a naval officer who's a native of Moultonborough were among the service members who helped bring astronauts safely home from one of NASA’s most historic missions in decades, playing key roles in the recovery of the Artemis II crew after its return from orbiting the moon.

Petty Officer 1st Class Riley Barbour of Intervale was among the sailors who supported the recovery of the crew and the Orion space capsule after splashdown in the Pacific Ocean on April 10.

Cmdr. Kevin Ringelstein, 41, a Moultonborough native and commander of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 23, oversaw the operation.

The Artemis II mission marked the first time in more than 50 years that humans traveled to the moon and back. Astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen spent about 10 days in space before returning to Earth.

Barbour, a 2014 graduate of Kennett High School and an aviation electrician’s mate assigned to Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 23, helped ensure the squadron’s MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopters were ready to execute the mission.

“My proudest accomplishment while serving in the Navy is being a part of the Artemis II astronaut recovery mission, welcoming them back home after they went to the moon and back,” Barbour said.

“Growing up, I learned that being resourceful is the most important part of getting jobs done,” Barbour said.

Ringelstein’s squadron, based at Naval Air Station North Island in Coronado, Calif., deployed aboard the USS John P. Murtha and spent months preparing with NASA and other military units for the recovery.

“I'm doing well, glad to be ashore,” Ringelstein said in an interview Tuesday.

“Over the past couple of years, we've been working with NASA and working with the Air Force, and so we've been practicing this recovery for many months,” he said.

As the Orion capsule re-entered Earth’s atmosphere, helicopters from HSC-23 tracked its descent and provided imagery support.

“They very precisely entered the Earth's atmosphere, so that they landed at practically the same spot that they had intended to land,” Ringelstein said. “Had it not been for that precision — not a mistake, but even a small deviation from that flight path — they would have been hundreds, potentially thousands of miles away.”

After splashdown, Navy divers secured the capsule and deployed what Ringelstein described as a “front porch” — an inflatable platform that allowed astronauts to exit safely. Helicopters then lifted the crew one at a time and transported them back to the ship.

“So there were four astronauts,” he said. “One (helicopter) came in and picked up astronaut Christina Koch. A second one came in and picked up astronaut Hansen. Then another aircraft picked up astronaut Glover, and the last one picked up the mission commander, Reid Wiseman.”

Ringelstein coordinated the operation.

“I actually was in the control tower, quarterbacking it from the control tower. My pilots were the ones who actually did the picking up,” he said.

After recovery, the astronauts were flown to shore the following day. Ringelstein said meeting them was memorable.

“They were so happy and jovial with us, and they just spoke in profound ways that were just so inspiring,” he said. “They were very upbeat, and it was awesome to witness.”

The mission also included a tribute to history, with recovery aircraft honoring “Black Knight 66,” the helicopter that retrieved Apollo 11 astronauts in 1969.

“I can't reiterate the fact of what an honor it is to be a part of it, and how fortunate I feel and the squadron feels, to be able to contribute to such an important mission. And just how I think what really personally stands out to me is these astronauts brought a lot of positivity to the world, and, you know, in a time in which I think is really needed, and so it's just a good news story all the way through, and for it to be executed, what I saw as flawless at the end, was just really, really remarkable — just a testament to what we can do,” Ringelstein said.

Meanwhile, Barbour shared: “Serving in the Navy gives me great pride and a sense of accomplishment. There’s no better feeling than finishing a job and watching our helicopters go and execute important mission tasking.”

For Ringelstein, who was born and raised in Moultonborough and has spent nearly 20 years in the Navy, the mission stands out.

“Absolute honor to be a small part of it,” he said.

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Ashley Craig from the Navy Office of Community Outreach contributed to this article.