HOUSTON (AP) 鈥� Still marveling over their , the Artemis II astronauts received a thunderous welcome home Saturday from hundreds who took part in that set a record for deep space travel.
The crew of four arrived at Ellington Field near NASA’s Johnson Space Center and Mission Control, flying in from San Diego, where they just offshore the evening before.
After a quick reunion with their spouses and children, commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Canada’s Jeremy Hansen took the hangar stage, surrounded by space center workers and other invited guests. They were introduced by NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, among the first to greet them aboard the recovery ship Friday.
鈥淟adies and gentlemen, your Artemis II crew,鈥� Isaacman said to a standing ovation.
The jubilant crowd included flight directors and the launch director, Orion capsule and exploration system managers, high-ranking military officers, members of Congress, the space agency鈥檚 entire blue-suited astronaut corps and even retired ones, and more.
Their homecoming was poignant: They returned to NASA’s Houston base on the 56th anniversary of the , whose 鈥淗ouston, we鈥檝e had a problem鈥� refrain turned a near-disaster into triumph.
鈥淭his was not easy.鈥� an emotional Wiseman said. 鈥淏efore you launch, it feels like it鈥檚 the greatest dream on Earth. And when you鈥檙e out there, you just want to get back to your families and your friends. It鈥檚 a special thing to be a human, and it鈥檚 a special thing to be on planet Earth.鈥�
Added Glover: 鈥淚 have not processed what we just did and I鈥檓 afraid to start even trying.”
Hansen said the four of them embodied love 鈥渁nd extracting joy out of that鈥� as the four joined together to stand in a row, embracing one another. 鈥淲hen you look up here, you鈥檙e not looking at us. We are a mirror reflecting you. And if you like what you see, then just look a little deeper. This is you.鈥�
During Artemis II’s nearly 10-day mission, the astronauts voyaged deeper into space than the moon explorers of decades past and captured views of the lunar far side never witnessed before by human eyes. A total solar eclipse added to the cosmic wonder.
On their record-breaking flyby, the astronauts reached a maximum 252,756 miles (406,771 kilometers) from Earth before hanging a U-turn behind the moon, eclipsing Apollo’s 13 distance record.
The mission also revealed a new side of our planet with an Earthset photo, showing our Blue Marble setting behind the gray, pockmarked moon. The image echoed the famous Earthrise shot from 1968 taken by the world鈥檚 first lunar visitors, Apollo 8.
鈥淗onestly, what struck me wasn鈥檛 necessarily just Earth, it was all the blackness around it. Earth was just this lifeboat hanging undisturbedly in the universe,鈥� Koch said. 鈥淧lanet Earth you are a crew.鈥�
Despite the accomplishments, Artemis II astronauts had to contend with a more mundane problem 鈥� a malfunctioning space toilet. NASA promised a design fix before longer moon-landing missions.
Wiseman, Glover, Koch and Hansen were the first humans to fly to the moon since Apollo 17 closed out NASA’s first exploration era in 1972. Twenty-four astronauts flew to the moon during Apollo, including 12 moonwalkers.
Apollo 13 commander Jim Lovell 鈥� who also flew on Apollo 8 鈥� cheered the Artemis II crew on in a wake-up message recorded before he died last summer.
It was crucial for NASA that Artemis II go well. The space agency is already preparing for next year’s Artemis III, which will see a new crew practice docking its capsule with a lunar lander in orbit around Earth. That will set the stage for the all-important Artemis IV moon landing in 2028, when two astronauts attempt a touchdown near the lunar south pole.
鈥淭he long wait is over. After a brief 53-year intermission, the show goes on,鈥� Isaacman said.
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