Nine-month odyssey: Astronauts' return amid NASA compensation claims

Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams returned to Earth after spending nine months on the International Space Station (ISS). Initially planned for eight days, their mission was prolonged due to technical problems, specifically a propulsion system failure on their return spacecraft. Consequently, they were reassigned to the Crew-9 mission, which arrived at the ISS in September. NASA plans to compensate the astronauts for the extended stay, although the exact amount has not yet been disclosed.

A former NASA astronaut, Cady Coleman, explained that astronauts receive only basic pay without additional benefits. “For me, it was about $4 a day,” Coleman said.

According to the Daily Mail, Wilmore and Williams may receive just over $1,000 in additional pay based on this information.

An extended stay in space presents health challenges, such as muscle and bone mass loss, vision problems, and the need to readjust to gravity conditions after returning. The astronauts will undergo intensive rehabilitation to strengthen bones and muscles, among other things.

The mission also became the subject of political controversy. President Donald Trump and Elon Musk, head of SpaceX, suggested that the previous Joe Biden administration abandoned the astronauts, causing uproar in the space community. NASA, however, emphasizes that the plan for the astronauts' return has not changed since they were assigned to the Crew-9 mission.

The astronauts finally returned to Earth on March 18 at 1:00 AM Eastern Time. Williams and Wilmore spent 286 days in space, longer than the average ISS mission, which typically lasts half a year. However, they did not break the record held by another American astronaut, Frank Rubio, who spent 371 days on the ISS.