They were stuck in space for 9 months. They’d go back ‘in a heartbeat.’

Sunita “Suni” Williams and Barry “Butch” Wilmore have had quite the year: The NASA astronauts were the first people to travel aboard Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft last summer, before technical issues left them stuck in the International Space Station for months on end.

But when they finally made it back to Earth last month, after 286 days in space, their immediate concerns were much more mundane.

“I wanted to hug my husband and hug my dogs,” Williams said at a news conference Monday, the pair’s first since they returned home two weeks ago in a SpaceX Dragon capsule. And she craved a taste of home: “My father was a vegetarian so I had a good grilled cheese sandwich when I got home, so that reminded me of him.”

Williams, 59, and Wilmore, 62, set off into space aboard Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft on June 5. They were expected to spend about eight days in space, but their return to Earth was delayed after they encountered issues with the thrusters and helium leaks in the propulsion system.

But on Monday, both said they would be willing to fly on the Starliner again.

“We’re going to rectify all the issues that we encountered, we’re going to fix them, we’re going to make it work,” Wilmore said at the news conference. “Boeing’s completely committed, NASA is completely committed and with that I’d get on in a heartbeat.”

Wilmore argued that the issues with the Boeing spacecraft were a shared responsibility.

“There were questions that I, as a commander of the spacecraft, that I should have asked, and I did not,” he said. “At the time, I didn’t know I needed to. And maybe you could call that hindsight. But I’ll start and point the finger, and I’ll blame me.”

“Blame … I don’t like that term, but certainly there’s responsibility throughout all the programs, and certainly you can start with me. Responsibility with Boeing, yes. Responsibility with NASA, yes, all the way up and down the chain. We all are responsible. We all own this.”

The pair did not directly comment on increased politicization of their final weeks in space, after Elon Musk, SpaceX CEO and adviser to President Donald Trump, claimed that the company offered to return the astronauts last year but that the Biden administration rejected the offer for political reasons. Trump made similar claims, but Williams and Wilmore, as well as NASA’s leadership, have said they were not aware of any such offer from SpaceX.

“When we’re up there operating in space you don’t feel the politics, you don’t feel any of that, it’s focused strictly on mission,” Nick Hague, the commander of Crew-9 that brought the two astronauts back to Earth who also appeared at the news conference, said in response to a question about the politicization of the mission.

In a separate interview with Fox News before the news conference, both Williams and Wilmore said they were grateful national leaders are taking notice and getting involved in the space program. Asked if he had any words for Trump and Musk, Wilmore replied: “I respect you, I trust you. You’ve given me no reason not to trust you, either one of them.”

Wilmore also rejected some of the narratives that emerged around their experience: “So in certain respects we were stuck, in certain respects, maybe we were stranded, but based on how they were couching this, that we were left and forgotten in orbit, we were nowhere near any of that at all.”

Both Williams and Wilmore described their surprise at just how quickly their strength returned after so long in space.

“It’s pretty much a miracle to see how your human body can adapt,” Williams said in the news conference, adding that she was able to run three miles on Sunday. “When all of us came down the ladder and greeted everybody … we were all a little bit wobbly at that time. And it’s amazing within 24 hours how the neuro-vestibular system kicks in and your brain understands what’s going on.”

Both astronauts noted the work of specialists throughout their mission and after their return – including nutritionists and strength, conditioning and rehabilitation specialists.

Wilmore said he “never missed a single day of workout” since they went into quarantine in April last year ahead of the mission. “I’m not as young as I used to be, but I was stronger on the space station, doing more weight and more reps on exercises than I have in my entire life because this group of professionals work to get us stronger and stronger and stronger.”

Being away from home for so long was “difficult,” according to Wilmore, but he and his family had discussed different possibilities – and he likened their experience to that of people working in the military, police or other jobs that require extended periods of time from home.

And, Wilmore added, he didn’t feel like they missed any holidays while in space. “I think we celebrated every single one,” he said. “We actually had a reindeer that we built and rode like a bull. I don’t know if you saw those pictures, but we celebrated in style, trust me.”

“But this holiday special season will be special, for sure,” he said.

Williams said she has starting making other plans – including a trip to New England with her husband and travels farther afield.

“When you come back from space, it’s really hard to sit where you are because there were so many amazing places that you saw,” she explained, saying that “there’s a bigger bucket list than I had when I left.”