The Artemis II astronauts are reflecting on their lunar journey. NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch, along with CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, are holding a news conference Thursday afternoon at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston to discuss their historic mission to the moon. Wiseman, Glover, Koch and Hansen were the first astronauts to travel to the moon in more than 50 years. During their 10-day journey, they set a distance record by traveling 252,756 miles from Earth and captured unprecedented views of the moon’s far side. “We are bonded forever,” Wiseman said Thursday. “That’s the closest four humans can be and not be a family, so it was just an amazing adventure and every single person on that crew lifted each other up the entire time.” After taking off on Wednesday, April 1, from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the crew splashed down off the coast of San Diego on Friday, April 10. The astronauts arrived in Houston on Saturday, April 11, and have been undergoing standard postflight reconditioning, evaluations and lunar science debriefs. “We were certainly hooked on this mission, but when we came home, we were shocked at the global outpouring of support, of pride, of ownership of this mission,” Wiseman said. “I think at the beginning, that’s what the four of us wanted. We wanted to go out and try to do something that would bring the world together, to unite the world.” NASA plans to continue sending Artemis astronauts on missions to the moon with goals of scientific discovery, economic benefits, establishing an enduring human presence on the moon and laying the groundwork for sending the first astronauts to Mars. “Reid, Victor, Christina, and Jeremy, welcome home, and congratulations on a truly historic achievement,” NASA administrator Jared Isaacman said after the crew’s return to Earth. “Artemis II demonstrated extraordinary skill, courage, and dedication as the crew pushed Orion, SLS (Space Launch System), and human exploration farther than ever before. As the first astronauts to fly this rocket and spacecraft, the crew accepted significant risk in service of the knowledge gained and the future we are determined to build.” NASA Apr 10 Artemis II crew splash down after historic moon mission NASA Apr 11 ‘We are bonded forever': Artemis II astronauts speak on completing their historic moon mission NASA Apr 11 The best photos from NASA's first moon mission in more than 50 years ...read more read less