Home, Sweet Home: Sunita Williams, Other Astronauts Get Warm Welcome at Space City After Splashdown

1/7: After 285 days in the space, NASA astronaut Sunita Williams returned to Earth. / Image: NASA

2/7: The 9-month-long wait finally ended as Sunita Williams, Butch Wilmore, Nick Hague and Aleksandr Gorbunov of the Crew-9 space mission finally returned to Earth on SpaceX Dragon. / Image: NASA

3/7: After the historic splashdown off the coast of Florida, the NASA astronauts are expected to undergo an extensive rehabilitation programme spanning over 45 days and three phases. / Image: NASA

4/7: The Crew-9 astronauts arrived back in Space City after their ISS mission and were warmly welcomed upon their return. / Image: NASA

5/7: Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore spent 285 days in the space, circled Earth 4,576 times and travelled 195 million kilometres by the time of splashdown. / Image: NASA

6/7: “Welcome Home, Butch, Suni, Nick, & Aleksandr!”: NASA’s Johnson Space Center / Image: NASA

7/7: Throughout its mission, Crew-9 contributed to a host of science and maintenance activities and technology demonstrations. / Image: NASA