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.

SpaceX recovery teams —  and a cohort of playful dolphins — were shown on the NASA broadcast as the spacecraft was hoisted onto the recovery ship, known as Megan. One by one, the four crew members were helped out of the spacecraft and placed onto stretchers,