Imagine going on a work trip that was supposed to last eight days but ends up stretching into nine months. That’s exactly what happened to NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore. They recently returned to Earth after spending 278 extra days aboard the International Space Station (ISS) due to a malfunction with their spacecraft. Their journey came to an end with a splashdown off the Gulf Coast of Florida, a conclusion to a story that has fascinated many since last summer.
While being in space sounds thrilling, the pay situation for astronauts is quite ordinary. Both Williams and Wilmore are treated like any other federal employees on a business trip. According to Jimi Russell, a spokesperson for NASA’s Space Operations Mission Directorate, astronauts in space are on official travel orders, which means they don’t receive overtime, holiday, or weekend pay.
During their extended stay, the astronauts were unable to leave their workplace, a cluster of modules orbiting Earth every 90 minutes. Although their transportation, meals, and lodging were covered, they received a daily allowance for incidentals. This allowance is $5 per day, similar to what other federal employees get while traveling. Over their time in space, this amounted to about $1,430 on top of their annual salary of approximately $152,258.
What kind of incidental expenses could astronauts incur while orbiting 250 miles above Earth? It’s hard to say. Typically, these allowances cover tips for porters and hotel staff, which certainly doesn’t apply in space. However, Williams and Wilmore didn’t view their extended stay as a burden. Williams expressed her joy, saying, “This is my happy place. I love being up here in space. It’s just fun, you know?”
For some perspective, consider Clayton Anderson, another NASA astronaut who spent 152 days on the ISS in 2007. He received a meager per diem of about $1.20 a day, totaling just $172. Anderson reflected on social media that while being an astronaut was a dream job, it still comes with the realities of government pay.
In the end, while their time in space was extraordinary, the financial aspects of being an astronaut remain grounded in the norms of federal employment.