'Welcome home, Artemis': Crew celebrates historic 10-day moon mission

Calling it the "opening act" in America's return to the moon, NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman welcomed the Artemis II crew back home after their historic 10-day mission.

"Welcome home, Artemis," Isaacman said, as NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen took to the stage Saturday at the Johnson Space Center in Houston in blue NASA flight suits to cheers and applause.

In emotional remarks, the crew thanked their families, NASA leadership, God -- and each other.

"Victor, Christina, and Jeremy -- we are bonded forever and no one down here is ever going to know what the four of us just went through," Cmdr. Reid Wiseman said. "And it was the most special thing that will ever happen in my life."

Referencing the challenge to their families being 200,000 miles away from home, Wiseman said: "It's a special thing to be a human and it's a special thing to be on planet Earth.

The crew reflected on their lessons of their journey and shared multiple group hugs.

The Artemis II crews -- NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen -- are making their first public appearance on Saturday since returning from space.

The Orion spacecraft splashed down in the Pacific Ocean on Friday, concluding the historic mission that broke the record for the farthest human spaceflight in history on its trip around the moon.

Following the successful historic splashdown of the Artemis II mission Friday evening, President Donald Trump congratulated the crew and looked forward to welcoming them at the White House, which he says will take place "soon."

"Congratulations to the Great and Very Talented Crew of Artemis II. The entire trip was spectacular, the landing was perfect and, as President of the United States, I could not be more proud! I look forward to seeing you all at the White House soon," Trump wrote Friday on his social media platform.

On Monday, the president called into the spacecraft and told the crew that he would "absolutely find the time" to welcome them to the Oval Office, though he did not specify when.

At a press conference following the safe splashdown of the Artemis II crew in the Pacific Ocean on Friday evening, NASA officials hailed the historic 10-day mission and said bigger challenges lie ahead.

"So, ya'll, we did it," said Lori Haze, deputy associate administrator for NASA’s Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate.

Howard Hu, NASA Orion program manager, said: "This is the start of a new era of human space exploration."

By 2028, NASA plans to land a crew on the surface of the moon with the Artemis IV mission.

Amit Kshatriya, associate NASA administrator, said the successful ending of the mission means "the path to the lunar surface is open," but hard work remains ahead.

"Fifty-three years ago, humanity left the moon. This time we returned to stay," Kshatriya said. "Let us finish what they started ... Let us not go to plant flags and leave -- but to stay."