Astronauts who returned to Earth following a protracted nine-month stay on orbit didn't get overtime pay for the mission, NASA officials said Friday.
Under NASA rules, astronauts are paid at the rate of their usual 40-hours-a-week salary, roughly $152,258 per year, during their time aboard the International Space Station. As federal workers, they don't pay for transportation, lodging or meals while on assignment — which is reasonable, considering the commute.
NASA says astronauts at work also receive incidental pay of $5 per day. This means the 278-day extension of Barry Wilmore and Sunita Williams' mission will pay out an extra $1,390 for each of them.
President Donald Trump commented Friday on compensating the astronauts for their unexpectedly extended trip.
"Nobody ever mentioned this to me. If I have to, I’ll pay it out of my own pocket? OK, I’ll get it for them," the president said Friday. "Is that all? That’s not a lot. For what they had to go through."
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What was supposed to be a one-week mission turned into a nine-month affair due to mechanical issues and NASA's decision to extend the mission. Boeing's Starliner capsule, the craft that was expected to return Wilmore and Williams to Earth, experienced problems with its thrusters and helium leaks as it approached the space station in June.
During their time on orbit, Williams and Wilmore participated in numerous experiments and spacewalks, including work with Astrobees, a type of free-flying robot.
Now that they've returned home, the astronauts will undergo weeks of rehabilitation to readapt to the influence of gravity and their surroundings. They will spend a few days under medical observation, and then will be permitted to return home to their families.
