NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams returned to Earth on Tuesday after more than 280 days in space. Their water landing, which came after about a 17-hour voyage, is something of a storybook ending to the Starliner saga that has captivated the nation and recently become the subject of political posturing.

The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft descended under parachute from a bright blue sky, plopping into sparkling clear water off the Gulf Coast of Florida south of Tallahassee. The nine-month journey of Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams had finally come to an end.