Two NASA astronauts have splashed down off the coast of Florida after spending more than nine months stuck in space.
Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams were seen exiting the capsule nearly an hour after it returned to Earth at around 6pm local time (10pm UK time).
Dolphins were seen swimming near the capsule while work was under way to remove it from the water.
The astronauts had begun their 17-hour journey back to Earth from the International Space Station (ISS) earlier.
They were only meant to be on the ISS for eight days when they blasted off from Earth on 5 June last year.
Suni Williams after leaving the capsule. Pic: NASA
They were testing out Boeing’s long-awaited Starliner, a ship designed to rival SpaceX’s Crew Dragon that is currently used to ferry astronauts into space.
However, by the time they docked at the ISS, the Starliner had suffered major problems – with five helium leaks, five dead manoeuvring thrusters and a propellant valve that failed to close completely.
It returned to Earth without them, after it was decided Mr Wilmore, 62, and Ms Williams, 59, would be safer waiting in orbit.
Butch Wilmore returns to Earth Pic: NASA
Pic: NASA
Dolphins are seen near the capsule. Pic: NASA
During their long wait in space the two US Navy veterans completed spacewalks, experiments and even helped sort out the plumbing onboard the ISS.
The astronauts repeatedly said they enjoyed the mission, with Ms Williams describing the space station as her “happy place”.
Swept up in NASA’s routine astronaut rotation schedule, Mr Wilmore and Ms Williams could not begin their…
