Shocking Truth About Astronaut Salaries Revealed: No Overtime in Space!
You’d think a nine-month stay in space would come with some decent pay bumps, right? Well, think again. Sunita “Suni” Williams and Barry “Butch” Wilmore, seasoned astronauts who returned to Earth on March 18 after an unintended 286 days in orbit, are not cashing in on any overtime perks. According to NASA, astronauts stationed aboard the International Space Station (ISS) receive a standard salary reflective of a 40-hour workweek—no extra cash for those long, cosmic hours. In a statement to People, NASA clarified that while astronauts are on official travel orders and receive accommodations and meals, their pay remains unchanged throughout their missions.
While their exact salaries remain under wraps, the pay scale for NASA astronauts generally falls between GS-11 and GS-14, which translates to an annual income between $84,365 and $152,258, contingent on experience. Fellow astronaut Cady Coleman weighed in on the matter of incidentals, which, if past experiences hold true, might add a measly $1,144 to their salaries—if they received around $4 a day. Honestly, for space adventurers, that’s just barely enough for a fancy cup of coffee back on Earth!
Their harrowing journey began with a launch on June 5, 2024, aboard Boeing’s Starliner. What was supposed to be a mere eight-day mission quickly morphed into an epic saga involving multiple leaks and thruster failures. And while they were, technically speaking, “kind of stuck,” as former NASA official Scott Hubbard put it, let’s not downplay the stress of being stranded in space. Not to mention, returning home wasn’t a leisurely stroll; they were wheeled off in stretchers, a rather sobering reminder of how gravity alters one’s body after months of weightlessness.
So, what’s the takeaway from this cosmic payroll conundrum? While astronauts are revered for their bravery and skill, they’re also federal employees dealing with the mundane realities of government pay structures—even when they’re 250 miles above our heads. If only someone could launch a petition for some astronaut overtime pay—it seems only fair after such a lengthy ordeal.
Sources: Celebrity Storm and E! Online, People Magazine, The Washingtonian, Live Science, Associated Press
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