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."

The Artemis II moon mission will see four astronauts go on a 685,000-mile, 10-day journey around the moon. Here is what the timeline looks like:

Day 1 is launch day. The astronauts lift off aboard NASA's newest spacecraft, Orion, which will sit atop the Space Launch System rocket. The spacecraft will reach initial orbit and then high-Earth orbit to make a push toward the moon.

Days 2 through 4 are transit days, with the journey to the moon taking three days. Over the course of the journey, the crew will continue to evaluate Orion's systems and practice emergency procedures, in addition to other activities.

On day 5, Orion will enter the lunar sphere of influence, meaning the moon is the main gravitational pull. On day 6, the crew will come its closest to the moon while traveling the farthest from Earth, according NASA.

Days 7 through 10 will see the astronauts make their way back to Earth before re-entering Earth’s atmosphere at high speed, up to 25,000 miles per hour.

The Orion spacecraft will deploy a series of parachutes once through the heat of re-entry to slow down and it will splash down in the Pacific Ocean The U.S. Navy will recover the capsule.

-ABC News’ Mary Kekatos