Nasa astronauts return to Earth after nine months stuck in space

A SpaceX capsule, with main parachutes deployed, floats over the Gulf of Mexico. Picture: Nasa/AP

Stuck in space no more, Nasa astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams returned to Earth on Tuesday, hitching a different ride home to end saga that began with a bungled test flight more than nine months ago.

Their SpaceX capsule parachuted into the Gulf of Mexico, just hours after leaving the International Space Station.