Astronauts Get $5 a Day for Space Travel—Wait, What?!
Imagine spending months floating in space, working around the clock, handling high-stakes science, and surviving on freeze-dried food—only to come home and find out you earned a grand total of… $5 a day in travel expenses.
That’s right. The two NASA astronauts who finally returned to Earth on Tuesday after being stranded on the International Space Station for nine months got no overtime pay.
So What Do Astronauts Get Paid?
- Astronauts are salaried government employees, and their annual pay averages around $150,000.
- Since they’re on salary, they don’t get overtime—even if their 10-day mission turns into a 270-day adventure.
- What they do get? A $5 daily allowance for “incidentals” while traveling.
- Translation: That covers basically nothing in space, but hey—maybe it’s enough for a snack at the airport on the way home?
Stranded but Still Professional
The two astronauts, Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore, made headlines this week after finally returning from what was supposed to be a brief test mission aboard Boeing’s Starliner. Due to technical delays, they ended up staying nine times longer than planned.
While they were up there, they handled critical research, repairs, and even record-breaking spacewalks. And still… $5 a day.
Wait, Is That Normal?
Surprisingly, yes. Federal travel rules apply even in orbit. That $5 “per diem” is the same as if you were traveling for work in a location that provides all your meals and lodging—which the ISS technically does.
Still, it’s wild to think that someone can orbit the Earth 4,000 times, fix a billion-dollar spacecraft, and return to applause—all for less than your morning Starbucks run.
