HOUSTON (AP) — Still marveling over their moon mission, the Artemis II astronauts received a thunderous welcome home Saturday from hundreds who took part in NASA's lunar comeback 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 splashed down just offshore the evening before.
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In this image provided by NASA, the Artemis II crew photographed the the lunar surface of the Moon on Monday, April 6, 2026. (NASA via AP)
In this image provided by NASA, Artemis II Pilot Victor Glover is photographed in the Orion spacecraft during the Artemis II lunar flyby on Monday, April 6, 2026. (NASA via AP)
In this image provided by NASA, the Artemis II crew photographed the Earth peeking out over the horizon of the Moon on Monday, April 6, 2026. (NASA via AP)
In this photo provided by NASA, NASA's Orion capsule descends under its main parachutes over the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California, following the Artemis II mission on Friday, April 10, 2026. (Josh Valcarcel/NASA via AP)
This photo provided by the U.S. Navy, NASA astronaut Victor Glover celebrates on the flight deck of the USS John P. Murtha (LPD 26) off the coast of California after returning from space on Friday, April 10, 2026.(Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class August Clawson/U.S. Navy via AP)
In this photo provided by NASA, the Artemis II astronauts Victor Glover and Christina Koch are photographed on the flight deck of USS John P. Murtha after they were extracted from their Orion spacecraft after splashdown on Friday, April 11, 2026. (NASA via AP)
In this photo provided by NASA, The Artemis II astronauts Reid Wiseman, commander and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, are photographed on the flight deck of USS John P. Murtha after they were extracted from their Orion spacecraft after splashdown on Friday, April 11, 2026. (NASA via AP)
In this photo provided by NASA, from left, NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, commander; Christina Koch, mission specialist; CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, mission specialist; and NASA astronaut Victor Glover, Artemis II pilot, right, pose for a group photo after viewing the Orion spacecraft in the well deck of USS John P. Murtha, Saturday, April 11, 2026, in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California. (Bill Ingalls/NASA via AP)
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.
“Ladies and gentlemen, your Artemis II crew,” 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’s 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 launch of Apollo 13, whose “Houston, we’ve had a problem” refrain turned a near-disaster into triumph.
“This was not easy.” an emotional Wiseman said. “Before you launch, it feels like it’s the greatest dream on Earth. And when you’re out there, you just want to get back to your families and your friends. It’s a special thing to be a human, and it’s a special thing to be on planet Earth.”
Added Glover: “I have not processed what we just did and I’m afraid to start even trying."
Hansen said the four of them embodied love “and extracting joy out of that” as the four joined together to stand in a row, embracing one another. “When you look up here, you’re 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.”
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’s first lunar visitors, Apollo 8.
“Honestly, what struck me wasn’t necessarily just Earth, it was all the blackness around it. Earth was just this lifeboat hanging undisturbedly in the universe,” Koch said. “Planet Earth you are a crew.”
Despite the accomplishments, Artemis II astronauts had to contend with a more mundane problem — 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 — who also flew on Apollo 8 — 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.
“The long wait is over. After a brief 53-year intermission, the show goes on,” Isaacman said.
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In this image provided by NASA, the Artemis II crew photographed the the lunar surface of the Moon on Monday, April 6, 2026. (NASA via AP)
In this image provided by NASA, Artemis II Pilot Victor Glover is photographed in the Orion spacecraft during the Artemis II lunar flyby on Monday, April 6, 2026. (NASA via AP)
In this image provided by NASA, the Artemis II crew photographed the Earth peeking out over the horizon of the Moon on Monday, April 6, 2026. (NASA via AP)
In this photo provided by NASA, NASA's Orion capsule descends under its main parachutes over the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California, following the Artemis II mission on Friday, April 10, 2026. (Josh Valcarcel/NASA via AP)
This photo provided by the U.S. Navy, NASA astronaut Victor Glover celebrates on the flight deck of the USS John P. Murtha (LPD 26) off the coast of California after returning from space on Friday, April 10, 2026.(Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class August Clawson/U.S. Navy via AP)
In this photo provided by NASA, the Artemis II astronauts Victor Glover and Christina Koch are photographed on the flight deck of USS John P. Murtha after they were extracted from their Orion spacecraft after splashdown on Friday, April 11, 2026. (NASA via AP)
In this photo provided by NASA, The Artemis II astronauts Reid Wiseman, commander and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, are photographed on the flight deck of USS John P. Murtha after they were extracted from their Orion spacecraft after splashdown on Friday, April 11, 2026. (NASA via AP)
In this photo provided by NASA, from left, NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, commander; Christina Koch, mission specialist; CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, mission specialist; and NASA astronaut Victor Glover, Artemis II pilot, right, pose for a group photo after viewing the Orion spacecraft in the well deck of USS John P. Murtha, Saturday, April 11, 2026, in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California. (Bill Ingalls/NASA via AP)
