Who are the NASA astronauts who were stuck in space for nine months?

Butch Wilmore, left, and Suni Williams pose for a portrait inside the vestibule between the forward port on the International Space Station’s Harmony module and Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft (Nasa via AP)

Marcia Dunn

Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams were barely known outside space circles when they strapped in for what was supposed to be a quick test flight of Boeing's Starliner capsule last June. Nine months later, they've captured the world's attention — and hearts — as NASA's stuck astronauts.

They’re now home and a new crew has arrived at the International Space Station to replace them after launching from Florida last week. They're flying back with SpaceX, their problem-plagued Starliner having returned to Earth empty months ago, leaving them behind in orbit. Their SpaceX capsule undocked from the station early Tuesday for the 17-hour ride home.

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