NASA astronaut Suni Williams is helped onto a recovery ship after the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft she was on landed in the ocean off Tallahassee, Fla., on Tuesday. Photo: Keegan Barber/NASA via Getty Images

NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Barry “Butch” Wilmore returned to Earth on Tuesday after spending some nine months in space.

The big picture: The astronauts traveled to the International Space Station in June 2024 as part of the Boeing Starliner’s first crewed test flight. They drew global attention after technical issues and safety concerns delayed their return, but they rejected claims they were stranded or “stuck.”

NASA astronaut Butch Wilmore is helped out of the spacecraft after landing on Tuesday. Photo: Keegan Barber/NASA via Getty Images

NASA astronaut Butch Wilmore (from left), Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, and NASA astronauts Nick Hague and Suni Williams inside a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft onboard the SpaceX recovery ship shortly after having landed. Photo: Keegan Barber/NASA via Getty Images

Support teams work on the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft shortly after it landed. Photo: Keegan Barber/NASA via Getty Images

The spacecraft lands off the coast of Florida on Tuesday. Photo: Keegan Barber/NASA via Getty Images

The spacecraft is seen as it lands on Tuesday. Photo: Keegan Barber/NASA via Getty Images

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