 "'I'll pay it out of my own pocket': Trump on Nasa astronauts' overtime fee")
Nasa astronauts Sunita Williams and Barry Wilmore returned to Earth earlier this week after spending more than nine months in space, despite their mission to the International Space Station (ISS) originally being planned for just eight days.
Despite extending their mission by 278 days, the astronauts will not receive overtime pay, prompting an offer from US President Donald Trump.
President Trump said on Friday that he was unaware the Nasa astronauts had not received overtime pay for their prolonged stay aboard the space station. Trump suggested he might personally cover the costs for the astronauts, who recently returned to Earth after spending nine months in space.
During a White House press briefing, Trump was informed that despite their entitlement to $5 per day, the astronauts had not been compensated for their extended mission. The Hill reported that this amounted to $1,430 over 286 days.
“Nobody ever mentioned this to me. If I have to, I will pay it out of my own pocket? OK, I will get it for them," Trump responded.
“Is that all? That’s not a lot. For what they had to go through,” he added.
Trump went on to express gratitude toward SpaceX CEO Elon Musk for facilitating the astronauts' return. Williams, Wilmore, Nick Hague, and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov arrived back on Earth early Wednesday, landing in the sea off the coast of Tallahassee, Florida, aboard SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft.
Prolonged space mission
Originally planned as an eight-day test mission, Williams and Wilmore's stay at the ISS stretched beyond nine months due to helium leaks and thruster malfunctions that rendered their Boeing Starliner capsule unsafe for return. Consequently, the spacecraft was sent back without them in September last year.
Speaking at the briefing, Trump highlighted Musk’s role in ensuring their safe return. “Think of, if we don’t have him (Musk). You know, there’s only so long — even though they are in the capsule up there — the body starts to deteriorate after nine or 10 months,” Trump said.
“And gets really bad after 14, 15 months with the bones and the blood and all of the things you have been reporting on very well. And, if we don’t have Elon, they could be up there a long time. Who else is going to get them?” he added.
Astronaut compensation
Unlike employees in private-sector jobs, Nasa astronauts are federal workers and receive fixed salaries based on government pay scales. This means they do not receive additional wages for overtime, weekends, or holidays, even when stationed in space. Their time aboard the ISS is classified as official government travel.
While Nasa covers their transportation, meals, and accommodation, astronauts receive a daily stipend of $5 for incidental expenses. With Williams and Wilmore spending 286 days in space, each is set to receive an additional $1,430 (approximately ₹1,22,980) on top of their base salary, which ranges between $94,998 (₹81.6 lakh) and $123,152 (₹1.05 crore).
(With agency inputs)