Artemis astronauts receive thunderous welcome home at Mission Control

The Artemis II astronauts have received a thunderous welcome home from hundreds of people involved 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 Centre and Mission Control in Houston on Saturday, flying in from San Diego where they splashed down just offshore the evening before.

After a quick reunion with their spouses and children, the astronauts took to the hangar stage, surrounded by space centre workers and other invited guests.

The crowd included Nasa administrator Jared Isaacman, flight directors and the launch director, Orion capsule and exploration system managers, high-ranking military officers, members of Congress and the space agency’s entire blue-suited astronaut corps.

“The long wait is over. After a brief 53-year intermission, the show goes on,” Mr Isaacman said. “Ladies and gentlemen, your Artemis II crew,” he added, as the crowd stood, applauded and cheered

Commander Reid Wiseman and his US-Canadian crew’s homecoming was poignant. They returned to their Houston home 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.

Mr Wiseman told his crewmates: “We are bonded forever.”

“This was not easy.” Mr 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.”

Referring to his wife and four daughters, pilot Victor Glover said: “I love you but not just those five beautiful cocoa skinned ladies there, but all of you.”

Christina Koch said she was struck by her view of Earth from space.

“Honestly, what struck me wasn’t just Earth, it was all of the blackness around it. Earth was just this lifeboat hanging undisturbably in the universe. Planet Earth you are a crew,” she said.

Fellow astronaut Canada’s Jeremy Hansen thanked the bravery of the launch teams to be “no-go” all the times they were, referring to the months of delay.

Mr Hansen said the crew 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.”

Canadian Space Agency president Lisa Campbell called the mission “a powerful moment”. She told Mr Hansen he represents “the best of what it means to be Canadian”.

During Artemis II’s nearly 10-day mission, they 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 kilometres) 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 grey, pockmarked moon. The image echoed the famous Earthrise shot from 1968 taken by the world’s first lunar visitors, Apollo 8.