End of a space odyssey

284 days later, stranded astronauts return at the..

- CHRISTOPHER BUCKTIN

NASA'S two stranded astronauts were last night due back on Earth after their week-long mission turned into a nine-month stay.

Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams said farewell to their comrades and departed on board a SpaceX capsule alongside two other astronauts.

They were stuck on the International Space Station following a bungled Boeing test flight last June.

The rescue ride home undocked on Monday and was due to splash down off the Florida coast last night.

Butch and Suni set off for the ISS on Boeing's new Starliner crew capsule on June 5 last year.