Still marvelling over their moon mission, the Artemis II astronauts received a thunderous welcome home on Saturday from hundreds who took part 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, 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.

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, the space agency’s entire blue-suited astronaut corps and even retired ones, and more.

“The long wait is over. After a brief 53-year intermission, the show goes on,” 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.