Sunita Williams, who was originally scheduled to return in a week after flying to the ISS on Boeing’s first astronaut mission last year, reached the 9-month mark this month.
The NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore have been at the ISS since June last year. They were testing the Boeing Starliner spacecraft on its first crewed mission, but the spacecraft had propulsion problems and was not safe to bring them back to Earth.
This Sunday, a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft arrived at the ISS to take Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams back to Earth, along with another American astronaut and a Russian cosmonaut.
The astronauts, who were supposed to return in a week after going on Boeing’s first astronaut flight to the ISS, reached the nine-month mark earlier this month. This raises the question: Do Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore get overtime for their extra time in space, like employees in other jobs?
Does Sunita Williams Receive Overtime for Her Extended Stay in Space?
Former NASA astronaut Cady Coleman says astronauts get their regular salary, but they don’t receive overtime pay. NASA takes care of their transportation, housing, and food, and gives them a small daily allowance for extra expenses.
“There is some small amount of money per day for incidentals that they end up being legally obligated to pay you,” washingtonian.com quoted Coleman.
Also read: NASA To Stream Sunita Williams And Butch Wilmore’s Return From Space – Full Schedule Inside
