Still marveling over their moon mission, the Artemis II astronauts received a thunderous welcome home Saturday from hundreds who took part in NASAs lunar comeback that set a record for deep space travel.The crew of four arrived at Ellington Field near NASAs Johnson Space Center and Mission Control, flying in from San Diego, where they splashed down just offshore the evening before. After a quick reunion with their spouses and children, commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Canadas 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 agencys entire blue-suited astronaut corps and even retired ones, and more. Their homecoming was poignant: They returned to NASAs Houston base on the 56th anniversary of the launch of Apollo 13, whose Houston, weve had a problem refrain turned a near-disaster into triumph.This was not easy. an emotional Wiseman said. Before you launch, it feels like its the greatest dream on Earth. And when youre out there, you just want to get back to your families and your friends. Its a special thing to be a human, and its a special thing to be on planet Earth.Added Glover: I have not processed what we just did and Im 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, youre 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 IIs 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 Apollos 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 worlds first lunar visitors, Apollo 8.Honestly, what struck me wasnt 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 NASAs 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 years 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.___The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.Its about time to watch on your time. Stream local news and weather 24/7 by searching for TMJ4 on your device.Available for download on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and more.Report a typo or error ...read more read less