What was supposed to be a short trip turned into an unexpected marathon as NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams finally returned to Earth after spending 286 days in space. Their journey began in June aboard Boeing’s Starliner capsule, but technical issues forced NASA to abandon its return flight, leaving them stranded aboard the International Space Station far longer than planned.
Originally expected to stay for just a week, Wilmore and Williams eventually hitched a ride home aboard a SpaceX capsule, splashing down in the Gulf of Mexico near Tallahassee. Over their extended stay, they orbited Earth more than 4,500 times, traveling 121 million miles before finally touching down. Despite the delays and uncertainty, both astronauts emerged smiling, marking the end of a mission filled with unexpected challenges.