Stranded astronauts back on Earth after nine months in space

They are back!

Nasa astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore have arrived back on Earth safely after they unexpectedly spent nine months in space.

They were only supposed to be on board the International Space Station (ISS) for eight days, but technical issues with their return capsule meant they had to remain in space for 286.

The Space X dragon capsule which they travelled in was welcomed back by a pod of playful dolphins as it splashed into the sea off the coast of Tallahassee, Florida.

Both Suni and Butch were smiling and waving as they emerged from the capsule.

"The crew's doing great," Steve Stich, manager, Nasa's Commercial Crew Program, said at a news conference.

The whole journey from the ISS took 17 hours.

Four huge parachutes helped the Dragon capsule splash down into the sea just before 22:00GMT on Tuesday night, in what was described as a "beautiful landing".

It was then met by a recovery ship and lifted onto the back of it, using strong wires and rope.

After a few last safety checks the door was opened and cameras were able to see the four of Crew 9 smiling and waving after their long journey.

Not long afterwards, the astronauts were helped on to a stretcher and into wheelchairs.

This is standard practice as their leg muscles will not be used to the extra weight after spending so long in space in zero gravity.

Nasa say they will then have gone through lots of medical checks before being reunited with their families.