So long as it's not a launch pod.

Stranded astronauts welcomed home by dolphins but face tough recovery after nine months in space

- JERRY LAWTON

RESCUED astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore arrived back on Earth to be greeted by dolphins.

Moments after their SpaceX Dragon capsule splashed down in Donald Trump's newly-named Gulf of America, it was surrounded by a pod of the inquisitive marine mammals.

Many viewers were moved to tears by the extraordinary sight.

The welcome was so out-of-this-world some social media sceptics claimed the creatures must have been computer-generated.

One wrote on X: 'The dolphins' welcome home was a nice touch. Hats off to the @SpaceX CGI team.'