The US astronauts who have now finally returned to Earth are likely to get some extra cash from NASA after their week-long work trip turned into a nine-month space odyssey saga — but not as much as you might think.
Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams made a dramatic return from the International Space Station on Tuesday night after setting off on what was supposed to be an eight-day test flight on Boeing’s new Starliner spacecraft last June.
After spending a total of 286 days in space — 278 days longer than anticipated — the two astronauts will now potentially be compensated for the inconvenience of their prolonged mission, according to an ex-NASA astronaut.
Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams made a dramatic return from the International Space Station on Tuesday night after setting off on what was supposed to be an eight-day test flight last June. AP
Former astronaut Cady Coleman told the Washingtonian that an astronaut’s salary is structured differently from traditional overtime pay — and they’re paid like any other federal workers on a business trip.
“For me, it was around $4 a day,” she said — that was back in 2010.
It’s unclear what the rate currently is for astronauts in space, but the federal travel allowance is $178 per day.
Coleman added: “There is some small amount of money per day for incidentals that they end up being legally obligated to pay you,” referring to lodging and food.
Based on Coleman’s experience when she ended up with $636 in incidental pay from a 159-day mission in 2010, Williams and Wilmore could be expected to earn roughly $1,148 each on top of their salaries.
If they’re getting the higher per diem rate for travel, they’d be paid an additional $51,000 each.
Suni Williams is pictured after being helped out of the SpaceX capsule that brought them back to Earth Tuesday night. NASA via Getty Images
Williams and Wilmore have a base salary range between $125,000 and $163,000 per year, according to their GS-15 rankings — the highest tier in the US General Pay Schedule.
The astronauts returned home aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule, which splashed down in the Gulf of America on Tuesday night — bringing their unplanned odyssey to an end.
Within an hour, the astronauts were out of their capsule, waving and smiling at the cameras while being hustled away in reclining stretchers for routine medical checks.
Butch Wilmore is helped from the capsule after splash landing in Florida. NASA
Wilmore and Williams’ plight had captured the world’s attention and gave new meaning to the phrase “stuck at work” — turning the pair into household names.
While other astronauts have logged longer spaceflights over the decades, none had to deal with so much uncertainty — or see the length of their mission expand by so much.
