When astronauts return from a prolonged visit to space, they are often carried out of their capsules and placed on stretchers for a medical examination. The 'stranded' astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore will be no exception.

The Boeing Starliner they took to the space station almost didn't make it. Soon after liftoff in June, helium leaked and thrusters malfunctioned. NASA and Boeing spent the summer trying to figure out what went wrong and whether the problems would repeat on the flight back.

The two stranded NASA astronauts are expected to return to Earth on Tuesday. They've been in space for nearly 300 days.