Trump promises out‑of-pocket pay for prolonged astronaut mission
Astronauts whose stay on the International Space Station (ISS) was extended by 278 days due to malfunctions and delays will receive overtime pay, announced U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday. He added that if necessary, he would pay them out of his own pocket.
According to NASA rules, Sunita "Suni" Williams and Barry "Butch" Wilmore are not entitled to overtime pay. They are only eligible for an allowance of $5 per day to cover unforeseen expenses during the mission, as reported on Thursday by "The New York Times."
This means that in addition to the base salary of approximately $152,000 per year, Wilmore and Williams received about $1,430 for the 286 days they spent in space, calculated "NYT."
Additional compensation for astronauts
Trump assured, however, that the astronauts would receive compensation for the additional time spent on the space station. "If I have to, I'll pay it out of my own pocket. I will get it for them," he said, as quoted by the AP agency.
In June of last year, Williams and Wilmore flew to space on the first mission of Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft. They were supposed to remain there for eight days, but issues with the propulsion system, including a helium leak and engine failures, caused a series of delays. Ultimately, they returned to Earth last week, after 286 days.
