President Trump calls Artemis II crew. See what he said.

Astronauts on board NASA's Artemis II mission received a shoutout from President Donald Trump in a Monday, April 6 call during which the president told them they had "inspired the entire world" following their record-breaking flight around the moon.

"Very special hello to Artemis today," Trump said during the call. "You've made history and made all America really proud. We have a lot of things to be proud of lately, but this is there's nothing like what you're doing."

The Artemis II crew conducted their lunar flyby on Monday, April 6, traveling near the far side of the moon in a record-breaking moment, reaching a maximum distance of 252,756 miles from Earth and surpassing the Apollo 13 distance record set in 1970 by over 4,000 miles. They also became the first humans to see parts of the far side of the moon with the naked eye.

"Humans have really never seen anything quite like what you're doing in a man's spacecraft," Trump said in the call. "It's really special."

'Modern-day pioneers'

The mission began April 1 with a launch from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, but it wasn't until Friday, April 3, that the astronauts got the green light to leave Earth orbit behind and head for the moon.

Along the journey, the crew of three Americans and one Canadian have captured some incredible views, the likes of which haven't been seen since NASA's era of Apollo moon missions came to an end more than 50 years ago.

The astronauts – Reid Wiseman, Christina Koch and Victor Glover of NASA, and Jeremy Hansen of the Canadian Space Agency – are now on their way home to complete the 10-day mission with their landing planned in the Pacific Ocean for Friday, April 10.

Trump lauded the astronauts on board the flight in the approximately 12-minute call as well as the "entire amazing team at NASA headed by Jared (Isaacman)," who he referred to as "a very special guy."

"America is a frontier nation, and the four brave astronauts of Artemis II … really are modern-day pioneers," the president said, adding "we're going all out. We'll plant our flag once again and this time we won't just leave footprints."

Trump expressed hope that the U.S. would "establish a permanent presence on the moon," and even push onto Mars.

"That'll be very exciting. I'm waiting for that so much," Trump said. "America will be second to none in space and everything else we're doing. We will continue to lead the whole thing into the stars, this incredible journey into the stars."

Astronauts share 'unforgettable' moments from flight

The president also asked the four astronauts about the most "unforgettable part of this really historic day," in response to which Wiseman said it was exciting to the see "sights that no human has ever seen before," including a solar eclipse and Mars.

Mission specialist Koch said her biggest highlight was catching her first look at Earth after passing around the moon.

"It really just reminds you what a special place we have, and how important it is for our nation … to lead and not follow in exploring deep space," she said.

Pilot Victor Glover commented that while their time on the other side of the moon was "quite nice," the crew's focus was on making scientific observations.

"I said a little prayer, but then I had to keep rolling," Glover joked.

Hansen thanks Trump on behalf of Canada

Canadian Space Agency's Hansen thanked Trump on behalf of Canada, a country with which the Trump administration has had a tumultuous relationship.

"And while I have the microphone, sir, I just want to thank you on behalf of Canada: The space leadership you spoke of from America truly is extraordinary," Hansen said. "I've said this many times before, a nation that leads like that and creates and sets big goals for humanity, that brings other countries along with it, is truly incredible."

Trump, in response, told Hansen that Canada was proud of him and that he has "a lot of courage," and "a lot of bravery."

At the end of the call, Trump said he hopes to invite the team to the Oval Office, where he plans to give them "a big salute" and ask for their autographs.

"I don't really ask for autographs much, but you deserve that," the president said.

Contributing: Jeanine Santucci, Eric Lagatta / USA TODAY

Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7.