NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams concluded their extended journey in space on Tuesday, successfully returning to Earth aboard a different spacecraft, thereby bringing to a close a narrative that began with a flawed test flight over nine months prior. Their SpaceX capsule made a safe descent into the Gulf of Mexico during the early evening hours, shortly after departing from the International Space Station. The splashdown took place off the coast of Tallahassee in the Florida Panhandle, marking the end of their unexpected adventure. Within an hour of landing, the astronauts emerged from their capsule, cheerfully waving and smiling for the cameras as they were transported on reclining stretchers for standard medical evaluations.