There was jubilation in Tallahassee, Florida, as NASA’s SpaceX crew-9 successfully returned to Earth after staying 286 days at the International Space Station.

After nine months on the International Space Station, NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Barry “Butch” Wilmore splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico on March 18.

As astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams acclimatize to Earth, the effects of being stranded in space for nine months, and their recovery, will give scientists a chance to improve preparations for long distance flights.