Shocking amount of money stranded astronauts are likely to be paid after 8-day mission turned into 251 days
You might be shocked to find out exactly how much the two NASA astronauts are getting paid for being stranded upon the International Space Station (ISS), as the truth has been revealed by one retired astronaut.
The situation involving astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams has been well documented, as their initial eight-day expedition to the ISS has now turned into a 251 day stay and continues on with no imminent return.
The reason that they’ve been stuck there for so long is two-fold, but is routed largely within the same problem: technical failure within spacecraft.
Not only did their Boeing Starliner spacecraft suffer technical difficulties, leaving them stranded in space in the first place, but their planned return flight has been delayed after issues arose with the SpaceX Crew-10 C213 Dragon capsule that would service the mandated changeover protocol.
Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore have been stranded upon the ISS for 251 days and counting (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
NASA ensures that any astronaut returning from the International Space Station must provide simultaneous changeover with an incoming expedition, but since there has been no one to switch places, Williams and Wilmore have been left ‘stranded’ effectively.
Although that isn’t necessarily the case, at least according to astrophysicist Jonathan McDowell in an interview with Washingtonian. McDowell outlines that “the party line at NASA is that the astronauts are not stranded,” insisting that “it’s way overblown.”
“They’re fine,” McDowell explains. “They just got to do an extra spacewalk, which they love. They’ll come home on the next ride.”
That still doesn’t factor in the health concerns that many have for the pair though, as pictures have revealed their ‘gaunt’ appearance and reports indicate hours of daily exercise are required to avoid dangerous health conditions.
To further add to the misery, it doesn’t seem like they’re getting much in the way of financial compensation after being stuck in a situation way out of their control.
Cady Coleman has indicated that the pair won’t get much in terms of financial compensation for their stay on the ISS (Paras Griffin/Getty Images)
Retired NASA astronaut Cady Coleman reveals in the same interview that the astronauts don’t get any special overtime beyond their standard salaried pay packet, indicating that as federal employees, taking a trip to space has the same concessions as any other Earth-bound business trip.
“There is some small amount of money every say for incidentals that they end up being legally obligated to pay you,” Coleman informs, but this is likely to be around just $4 per day, working out at at extra $1,004 each for their time so far.
While they are likely enjoying their time in space, as McDowell has suggested, you’d expect there to be a bit more of an effort to compensate considering the sacrifices that they’ve made – which include drinking soup made from their own urine.
With a planned return flight launching around the middle of March though, it hopefully won’t be too long before the pair find their way back to Earth.
Featured Image Credit: Joe Raedle/Getty Images
Stranded NASA astronauts have to do one thing every day to tackle concerning health issue
Spending months in space isn’t great for your body
NASA astronauts Sunita ‘Suni’ Williams and Barry ‘Butch’ Wilmore have been stranded on the International Space Station since the beginning of June 2024, and they’ve revealed that they have to do one specific thing every single day in order to avoid any health dangers.
It’s certainly been a long eight months for the pair since what was initially just an eight day expedition turned into one with no end in sight, as their Boeing capsule suffered technical issues, preventing them from returning home to Earth.
While US President Donald Trump has attempted to speed up their rescue, demanding that Elon Musk and SpaceX go and get the pair as soon as possible, they still await their return from the International Space Station.
Williams and Wilmore have been stranded on the ISS for over 240 days now (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
It’s certainly been an intriguing stay for the pair, as not only have they had to spend holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas away from their families, but they’ve also had to resort to drinking soup made from their own urine due to dwindling food supplies.
Many have also grown concerned about their health after photos revealed their ‘gaunt’ appearances, but NASA has offered reassurance that it’s simply a biproduct of being in space for such a long period of time and how the body reacts to exercise.
“Butch and I have been up here for a number of months,” Williams told New England Sports Network, “we’ve been on the workout gear. We’ve got a bike, we got a treadmill and we got weightlifting equipment.
“And I could definitely tell that weightlifting – which is not something I do all the time – has definitely changed me. My thighs are a little bigger, my butt is a little bigger, we do a lot of squats.”
Williams has revealed the exercise she has to do every single day to avoid major health issues (YouTube/NASA Video)
It’s not just for fun that they’re doing this exercise though, as it helps avoid a major health issue facing astronauts who spend an extended period in space: loss of bone density due to microgravity, as reported by Tyla.
Known scientifically as disuse osteoporosis, the experience of living in constant microgravity makes your bones weaker, which in turn has them less able to support the body’s weight upon return to Earth, leading to a risk of fractures.
It’s something that could be extremely dangerous for the body is not paid attention to while in space, and as such the pair are doing at least two hours of exercise every single day across a number of different methods.
Williams also mentioned that she’s ‘trying to remember how to walk’ before she returns back home, and it’s surprising how difficult it is for the body to adjust to two contrasting environments.
Featured Image Credit: @NASAgovVideo/YouTube
Stranded NASA astronauts on ISS have to carry out this brutal regime every day to avoid serious health issue
Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore have been stuck in space for 249 days
The case of stranded NASA astronauts Sunita “Suni” Williams and Barry “Butch” Wilmore has gripped the nation.
Even President Donald Trump calling on Elon Musk to try and get them back sooner than expected with his SpaceX rockets, their eventual return is set to be quite the event.
NASA has already explained why it’s not as simple as Musk flying up there to rescue Williams and Wilmore from the International Space Station, although they’re supposed to be back on Earth sooner than expected thanks to their return being moved up.
After flying to the ISS as part of 2024’s first crewed mission of the Boeing Starliner, Williams and Wilmore were given an extended stay due to issues with their craft. It was flown back unmanned, leaving them trapped there until SpaceX’s Crew 9 mission can pick them up with its spare seats.
Williams previously said she was losing basic human functions, but to combat that, she and Wilmore have to undergo a ‘brutal’ daily regime to ensure they’re fighting fit when back on Terra Firma.
Suni Williams took part in a similar routine when on the ISS in 2012 (NASA)
Explaining some of the unexpected side effects to students at Needham High School in Massachusetts (via Mail Online), the 59-year-old astronaut admitted: “I’ve been up here long enough, right now I’ve been trying to remember what it’s like to walk. I haven’t walked. I haven’t sat down. I haven’t laid down.”
Speaking during a January 31 press conference, she expanded on the daily routine that is supposed to avoid excess bone density loss. NASA has revealed that astronauts will typically lose 1% to 2% of bone density in the hip and spine for every month they’re in space. The site writes that this is “compared to bone loss of 0.5% to 1% per year in post-menopausal women and much older men on Earth.”
With a loss of bone density, Williams and Willmore’s bones would be more fragile and susceptible to an increased risk of breaks alongside ‘early-onset osteoporosis’.
Williams’ daily routine involves her taking part in up to two hours of exercise a day.
Seeing the positives, she added: “Your joints don’t hurt, which is quite nice.”
While hitting the intergalactic gym, Williams and other astronauts complete variations of treadmill running, stationary biking, and resistance strength training.
Although there were already concerns about Williams’ appearance, NASA has reiterated they’re given regular medicals to ensure they’re doing well while aboard the ISS.
In a statement to Mail Online, NASA promised: “Suni Williams is successfully performing all duties and functions during her mission aboard the International Space Station, including her daily exercise routine, spacewalks outside of the space station, and a variety of science experiments inside the orbiting laboratory.”
While Williams has said she can’t wait to get home and eat a pizza, at least she’s finding the brighter side of being stuck in space.
On January 30, she posted the ultimate selfie as she serviced the ISS during a spacewalk. Not everyone can say they’ve snapped a selfie while flying 423 km above the Pacific Ocean
Featured Image Credit: NASA
Shocking amount of money Neil Armstrong made as the highest paid of the flying astronauts
His salary might not match up to his level of fame.
Being an astronaut isn’t easy – in fact, even becoming an astronaut is a massive challenge, since it’s one of the most competitive professional fields in the world, where you’d be competing alongside some incredibly highly qualified people.
One of the shocking things about being an astronaut in modern times, though, is how surprisingly pedestrian the pay is.
You certainly won’t be making money to rival a CEO or anyone like that, and records show that this has been the case for ages.
Space Frontiers / Stringer / Getty
Probably the most famous astronaut of all time was Neil Armstrong, who died in 2012 – he was the first man ever to walk on the Moon, and became a household name when his mission returned to Earth.
At the time of the Apollo 11 mission to the Moon, Armstrong was apparently paid a salary of $27,401 (that’s reportedly according to the book This New Ocean: A History of Project Mercury), making him the best-paid astronaut on the mission.
Accounting for the huge inflation since then, that salary equates to something north of $225,000, which looks a lot more like the sort of money that you’d think someone taking such a big risk should be paid.
However, these numbers get even more fascinating when you consider them broken down into hourly chunks – taking, for example, the famous moonwalk that Armstrong was able to complete.
He was on the Moon‘s surface for two hours and 40 minutes, which we can round up to about three hours of work.
Based on his salary, he was probably only paid about $33 in 1969 money for his time on the Moon then, which works out at around $280 today.
That’s a hilariously low number given what the job actually entailed, and the unbelievably momentous nature of that jaunt to the Moon’s surface.
Amazingly, though, despite how famous some astronauts are, pay is now actually lower in many cases.
Smartshots International / Getty
Junior astronauts reportedly start on just $50,000 as they learn the ropes, which might be a lower salary than you’d think for such a dangerous and prestigious job.
Still, the massive upside of being an astronaut, from a financial point of view, is the profile that it gives you once you’re home.
The after-dinner speech market is massive, and with paid appearances at conferences and events, many astronauts are able to swell their personal net worth significantly. After all, who wouldn’t want to hear from someone who’s been to the Moon?
Featured Image Credit: Space Frontiers / Stringer / Heritage Images / Contributor / Getty
NASA issues statement after Trump asked Elon Musk to help bring stranded astronauts home
Hopefully it won’t be too long before they return home now
NASA has reiterated the plans to bring stranded astronauts back to Earth after US President Donald Trump explicitly asked Elon Musk and SpaceX to bring them home as soon as possible.
Sunita “Suni” Williams and Butch Wilmore have been stranded upon the International Space Station (ISS) since June 5, 2024, stretching what was supposed to be just an eight-day mission to over 239 days at the time of writing.
Many have previously expressed worries that the pair were dangerously unhealthy after pictures were released by NASA, but the space agency has thankfully quashed any fears by revealing that both are in fine health.
That doesn’t mean that the time spent on the ISS hasn’t been a slog though, as they’ve had to miss holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas, resorting to meals like soup made from their own urine.
Wilmore and Williams have been stranded on the ISS since June 2024, and there’s still no concrete timeline for their rescue (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
They’ve been up there for so long too that Williams has revealed she’ll need to learn how to walk again, as her body has got too used to the zero gravity nature of space living.
Statements from both US President Donald Trump and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk have brought some hope to their situation though, as both have expressed their willingness to bring the astronauts back to Earth as soon as possible.
Musk declared that “we will do so,” when asked to bring them back, and Trump outlined that he requested SpaceX to ‘go get’ the pair, wishing them a safe journey back in the process.
NASA has now added to the process with a statement of their own, outlining on X: “NASA and SpaceX are expeditiously working to safely return the agency’s SpaceX Crew-9 astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore as soon as practical, while also preparing for the launch of Crew-10 to complete a handover between expeditions.”
NASA and SpaceX are expeditiously working to safely return the agency’s SpaceX Crew-9 astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore as soon as practical, while also preparing for the launch of Crew-10 to complete a handover between expeditions.
This still doesn’t give any expected timelines for their return, and predictions outline that this will be no earlier than March 2025, and likely within the timeframe between March and August this year.
Whether Trump’s focus ensures that this is on the earlier end is yet to be seen, but it’s clear that this remains a top priority for both NASA and the current administration.
Both Trump and Musk have blamed the delay on the Biden administration, with the latter outlining that it’s “terrible that the Biden administration left them there so long.”
The president then added that the pair had “been virtually abandoned in space by the Biden administration.” Plans were put in place for SpaceX to retrieve the astronauts in the second half of 2024, but it’s unclear why it still has not occurred.
