NASA unveils plans for astronauts after 9-month space stint

NASA outlines future plans for returning astronauts, Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams

NASA outlines future plans for returning astronauts,  Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams
NASA outlines future plans for returning astronauts, Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams 

Two NASA astronauts have splashed down off the coast of Florida after spending more than nine months stuck in space.

According to Sky News, Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams waved as they left their capsule - nearly an hour after it returned to Earth at about 6pm local time (10pm UK time).

The astronauts' journey back from the International Space Station took 17 hours.

Senior NASA administrator Joel Montalbano described the landing as "beautiful" - and said their 150 experiments and 900 hours of research will inform future moon missions.

"The crew's doing great... eventually they'll make their way back to Houston," NASA manager Steve Stich said - telling reporters they'll get some "well-deserved time off" with their families once debriefs are complete.

They were only meant to be on the ISS for eight days when they blasted off from Earth on 5 June last year.

They were testing out Boeing's long-awaited Starliner - a vessel designed to rival SpaceX's Crew Dragon, which is currently used to ferry astronauts into space.