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.

Everything from walking, to wearing clothes, to smelling food and other odors terra firma will require getting used to for Williams and Wilmore, 59 and 62, experts say.