NASA Astronauts Suni Williams And Butch Wilmore May Earn N233 Million Each Per Year As Salary

• Two American astronauts returned to Earth after 286 days at the International Space Station where they were conducting experiments
• However, after Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore's return, many people wanted to know if they will be paid for the extra time they spent in space
• Information on NASA's website shows that astronauts are paid $152,258.00 (N233 million) yearly for their work but they could earn more than that

Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore splashed down off the coast of Tallahassee, Florida on March 18 after 286 days in space.

The two astronauts grabbed media attention after the Boeing Starliner they travelled in developed technical problems, warranting them to spend more days at the International Space Station (ISS).

When they returned, many curious minds started asking questions about whether they would be paid overtime salary for the number of days they spent in space.

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Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore's salary

Some people wanted to know how much Suni and Butch would pocket based on the stress they must have gone through at the ISS.

However, according to NASA, astronauts are paid $152,258.00 (N233 million) for their work.

This information is publicly available on NASA's website and it did not say if there would be additional allowances or compensation for extra time.

NASA says:

"$152,258.00 per year. This pay rate reflects the 2024 pay schedules and is an approximation. This rate will be adjusted to reflect any increase in 2025."

But there are reports that Suni and Butch could pocket more money, according to the New York Post.

Quoting the Washingtonian, the New York Post reported that a former astronaut, Cady Coleman earned $4 daily when she spent time in space.

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Coleman said:

“For me, it was around $4 a day. There is some small amount of money per day for incidentals that they end up being legally obligated to pay you."

Coleman got paid $636 (N974,000) in incidental pay from a 159-day mission in 2010. Based on the federal travel allowance, Williams and Wilmore could be expected to earn $174 per day, which is about $1,148 each on top of their salaries, the NYP reports.

NASA had confirmed the return of the two astronauts in a release shared on its website.

The body said:

"NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 completed the agency’s ninth commercial crew rotation mission to the International Space Station on Tuesday, splashing down safely in a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft off the coast of Tallahassee, Florida, in the Gulf of America.

"NASA astronauts Nick Hague, Suni Williams, and Butch Wilmore, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, returned to Earth at 5:57 p.m. EDT. Teams aboard SpaceX recovery vessels retrieved the spacecraft and its crew. After returning to shore, the crew will fly to NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston and reunite with their families."

Commenting on the story, Zico Abara, a rocket science enthusiast and a graduate of mechanical engineering from the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka said N233 million was a lot of money by Nigerian standards.

"You know their standards of living in the US, for example, are way different from ours in Nigeria. Judging from our standards of living in Nigeria, that's really a lot of money."

Elon Musk's Starship explodes midair

Earlier, Legit.ng reported that Elon Musk's Starship exploded mid-air after taking off during the giant ship's 8th flight test on Thursday, March 6.

The Starship is aimed at taking humans to Mars and colonising it for human habitation, in line with Elon's mission.

The Starship, which had 33 Raptor engines, did not complete the test flight as it exploded mid-air, after nine minutes.

Proofreading by Nkem Ikeke, copy editor at Legit.ng.