Nigeria, March 19 -- NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams have finally returned to Earth after an unplanned nine-month stay aboard the International Space Station (ISS).

57 p.m. EDT when their SpaceX Crew-9 capsule splashed down off the coast of Florida, marking the end of a 286-day mission initially expected to last only eight days.

The capsule made a fast and fiery re-entry through Earth's atmosphere, deploying four parachutes to slow its descent before gently landing in the Gulf of Mexico near Tallahassee. As recovery teams arrived, a pod of dolphins circled the craft, a rare sight that added to the spectacle.

NASA officials were quick to celebrate the return. Joel Montalbano, deputy associate administrator of NASA's Spac...