National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, who had been stucked on the International Space Station for 9 months, safely returned to Earth on Wednesday as the Space Dragon spacecraft landed in the ocean off the Florida coast.
According to Former NASA astronaut Cady Coleman, astronauts receive their standard salary without overtime pay. As quoted by Wahingtonian.com, she mentioned that they receive a small daily allowance for incidentals which they are legally entitled to. "For me, it was about $4 per day," she added.
Coleman received around $636 in additional pay during her 159-day mission in 2010-11. Based on the same calculation, Williams and Wilmore are expected to receive at least $1,148 each in extra compensation after spending more than 287 days in space.
Reports indicate that Williams and Wilmore hold a GS-15 rank, the highest level in the US General Pay Schedule. According to generalschedule.org, GS-15 employees earn a base salary ranging from $125,133 to $162,672 depending on their General Schedule Step.
During their extended nine-month stay on the ISS, Williams and Wilmore’s prorated salary is estimated to be between $93,850 and $122,004. With an additional $1,148 in incidental pay, their total earnings for the mission are expected to range from $94,998 to $123,152.
While Coleman received $4 per day during her mission, the amount may have changed over time due to inflation or other adjustments. However, the calculation does not factor in any possible increases in NASA’s incidental daily allowance since 2011.
After splashdown off Florida, Williams and her crew will undergo medical checks, then head to Johnson Space Center for evaluations and debriefings. Once cleared, she looks forward to reuniting with her family and her dogs.
Williams and Wilmore, test pilots for Boeing's Starliner capsule, saw their planned 8-day mission extend to over 9 months due to helium leaks and thruster failures, which rendered their spacecraft unsafe and forced its empty return in September.
