Nearly two weeks ago, astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams returned to Earth after being stuck in space for nine months. 

During one of his first interviews on Monday since coming home, Wilmore reflected on his adventure to the Washington Examiner after the world watched his eight-day Starliner mission to space turn into a nine-month-long hiatus at the International Space Station. NASA astronaut Nick Hague, who helped launch the SpaceX spacecraft that brought Wilmore and Williams home earlier last month, also ruminated on the experience and the future of space exploration in the United States.