Through 16 sunrises and sunsets a day, circling their home planet at 17,500mph and an altitude of 260 miles, the 279 voyagers who have spent time aboard the International Space Station have had a privileged view of Earth from orbit.

For Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, the latest to return from extraterrestrial adventures, it was not an experience they expected to last for more than eight days when they launched aboard a Boeing Starliner spacecraft on June 5, 2024.

Now back on their home planet after a mission that stretched to 286 days — putting them in joint 11th place for the longest time spent in space on a single mission — they have physical and mental adaptations to make.

Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams waving goodbye before a space mission.

The pair before and, below, after their mission

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Astronaut Suni Williams waving after landing.

KEEGAN BARBER/ANADOLU/GETTY IMAGES

Astronaut Butch Wilmore being helped from a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft.

“It’s definitely an adjustment,” said