Stranded Astronaut Compensation After 286-Day Nightmare Mission Revealed
NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams touched down on Earth Tuesday, ending an unexpected nine-month stay in space that was originally planned as just a one-week mission.
The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft carrying Wilmore, Williams, NASA astronaut Nick Hauge and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov landed in the Gulf of America near Tallahassee, Florida. SpaceX crews quickly recovered both the astronauts and the capsule.
Wilmore and Williams spent 286 days in orbit–nearly 41 weeks–far exceeding their planned week-long mission after arriving via Boeing’s Starliner in June 2023. Hauge and Gorbunov completed 171 days in space.
The extended mission has raised questions about compensation for the astronauts during their prolonged stay.
“When NASA astronauts are aboard the International Space Station, they receive regular, 40-hour work-week salaries. They do not receive overtime or holiday/weekend pay,” according to a NASA spokesperson, as reported by Fox News Business.
NASA astronaut salaries reached over $152,000 last year. While in space, astronauts receive transportation, lodging, and meals as they are “on official travel orders as federal employees,” the spokesperson explained.
They also receive a daily incidentals allowance of $5 per day while in space as part of long-term Temporary Duty status. For Wilmore and Williams, this would amount to approximately $1,430 for their 286-day mission.
The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft carrying Wilmore, Williams, NASA astronaut Nick Hauge and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov landed in the Gulf of America near Tallahassee, Florida. SpaceX crews quickly recovered both the astronauts and the capsule.
Wilmore and Williams spent 286 days in orbit–nearly 41 weeks–far exceeding their planned week-long mission after arriving via Boeing’s Starliner in June 2023. Hauge and Gorbunov completed 171 days in space.
The extended mission has raised questions about compensation for the astronauts during their prolonged stay.
“When NASA astronauts are aboard the International Space Station, they receive regular, 40-hour work-week salaries. They do not receive overtime or holiday/weekend pay,” according to a NASA spokesperson, as reported by Fox News Business.
NASA astronaut salaries reached over $152,000 last year. While in space, astronauts receive transportation, lodging, and meals as they are “on official travel orders as federal employees,” the spokesperson explained.
They also receive a daily incidentals allowance of $5 per day while in space as part of long-term Temporary Duty status. For Wilmore and Williams, this would amount to approximately $1,430 for their 286-day mission.
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