‘Stranded’ NASA astronauts will not receive overtime pay

Employees usually expect to receive extra money if they have to stay at work later than expected. However the same can’t be said for astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore who were stuck at the International Space Station (ISS) for nine months.

The space travellers embarked on a trip to the ISS on 5 June last year on board Boeing’s Starliner, in a mission that was supposed to last just eight days.

Issues with the Boeing Starliner spacecraft emerged when docking at the ISS, and so it returned to Earth without the pair inside in September due to safety concerns.

The astronaut's return journey has been pushed back a number of times but they are now back on Earth. But if you assumed they would receive overtime pay, think again. NASA spokesperson Jimi Russell told The New York Times: “While in space, NASA astronauts are on the travel orders as federal employees.”

Astronauts are federal employees for NASA and they have similar employment terms however their work is highly specialised, risky and demanding. This means their annual salary is around $152,258, according to NASA.

Space travellers on the ISS generally do not receive overtime or additional pay for weekends or holidays. Astronauts receive a fixed salary and have a 40-hour work week, even in space. However, astronauts do have their expenses covered while on missions, such as transportation, food and other essentials.They also get a daily allowance for “incidentals” which is a $5 per diem payment given to employees in the place of travel reimbursements. For their 286 days in space, this would be around $1,430.

Well, that’s better than nothing.

You should also read:

• NASA's stranded astronauts Suni and Butch may suffer these devastating health effects after months in space
• How much did it cost Musk's SpaceX to bring Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore back to Earth?

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