Artemis astronaut's 'bonded for life' after record-breaking lunar trip

Artemis astronaut's 'bonded for life' after record-breaking lunar tripThe four Artemis astronauts have been met with cheers and a standing ovation in Houston during a special reception following their dramatic return to Earth todayCommentsNewsTim Hanlon News Reporter22:07, 11 Apr 2026Updated 22:17, 11 Apr 2026View 4 ImagesThe four astronauts during a reception in Houston(Image: AFP via Getty Images)Astronaut Reid Wiseman says it is a "special thing to be on planet Earth" as the Artemis crew told what it was like on their record-breaking lunar trip.‌Artemis II’s astronauts closed out humanity’s first lunar voyage in more than half a century with a Pacific splashdown on Friday.‌It was a dramatic grand finale to a mission that revealed not only swaths of the lunar far side never seen before by human eyes, but a total solar eclipse and a parade of planets, most notably our own shimmering Earth against the endless black void of space.‌View 4 ImagesThe crew landed back on Earth this morning(Image: AFP via Getty Images)They received a standing ovation and cheers as they walked out, welcomed by NASA chief Jared Isaacman, in Houston.Commander Reid Wiseman started by telling the crowd: "I have no idea what to say" before telling his three crewmates "we are bonded for life".‌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.After a quick reunion with their spouses and children, the astronauts took the hangar stage, surrounded by space centre workers and other invited guests.View 4 ImagesThe four astronauts have gone further than any other human from the Earth(Image: Atlas Photo Archive/NASA / Avalon)‌The crowd included NASA Administrator Isaacman, flight directors and the launch director, Orion capsule and exploration system managers, high-ranking military officers, the space agency’s entire blue-suited...