Overtime salary? How NASA may compensate Sunita Williams, Butch Wilmore for 9-month stay in space

Billion prayers were answered as Sunita Williams and Butch Willmore safely returned to planet Earth after spending nine months at the International Space Station on Wednesday.

As the SpaceX’s Dragon capsule gently splashed down off the coast in Florida, there were loud cheers, whistles and huge sigh of relief. Now, the focus will be on 45-day acclimatisation of the NASA astronauts.

Their families will meet them at NASA’s home base in Houston sometime later. While the science part of this extended stay and the human grit are being spoken about a lot, what about the commerce of this mission. It is very well-known fact that NASA happens to be the richest space agency on this planet.

So, how much is it paying to its astronauts for the extended stay? Well, the amount will surprise you. According to ex-astronaut Cady Coleman, NASA pays roughly $4 daily in case the crew stays back in the space beyond the stipulated deadline.

Coleman said that this $4 can’t be called as bonus as there’s none. Astronauts are treated just like any government staff. The ISS mission is taken like a business trip with the space agency taking care of boarding and food.

So, for the incidentals, both Williams and Wilmore are likely to get around$1,000 more than their actual salary. As per the official data, both these astronauts hold GS-15 ranking, which is the top spot in the General Pay Scale of the US government. According to the data available in public space, Williams and Wilmore earn $125,133 and $162,672. This comes to Rs 1.08 crore to 1.41 crore in the Indian currency.