When they began their mission to space in June 2024, astronauts Sunita Williams and Barry โButchโ Wilmore probably didnโt expect that the planned eight days at the International Space Station would turn into months.
The Boeing capsule they traveled to space with experienced technical issues, including helium leak. As a result, the two astronauts were forced to stay in space. The mission of their possible return home has been delayed several times so far. Now NASA expects them to get back home somewhere in March.
The American astronauts Barry Wilmore and Sunita Williams were stranded in space for nearly eight months.
In June 2024, they took Boeing’s “Starliner” to the International Space Station and were originally scheduled to carry out an 8-day mission. pic.twitter.com/F1exWXPy3n
โ Missing chole (@CholeMissing) February 12, 2025
Williamsย and Wilmore will be transported via the Crew-10 mission.
President Donald Trump accused Bidenโs administration for abandoning the two astronauts and called Elon Musk and SpaceX to โgo get them.โ
โElon will soon be on his way. Hopefully, all will be safe,โ Trump said. โGood luck Elon!!!โ
Musk took toย Xย to answer that he will do so.
However, while the media refers to the astronauts as stranded, astrophysicist Jonathan McDowellย saysย thatโs not the case. He highlights that โthe party line at NASA is that the astronauts are not stranded,โ insisting that โitโs way overblown.
โTheyโre fine,โ McDowell explains. โThey just got to do an extra spacewalk, which they love. Theyโll come home on the next ride.โ
Despite finding themselves in a situation that is out of their control, NASA claims Williams and Wilmore are in good spirits, assuring the public that their basic needs, like food and clothing, are well taken care of.
During a call, Williams said, โItโs just been a joy to be working up here.
โIt doesnโt feel like weโre cast away. Eventually, we want to go home, because we left our families a little while ago, but we have a lot to do while weโre up here.โ
In fact, the astronauts are doing a series of experiments, spacewalks, and other routine operations while in space.
Expectedly, the question of how much they will be paid for their overly-prolonged stay was raised by the media and the public.
However, the answer isnโt something weโd expect.
Retired NASA astronaut Cady Coleman revealed for theย Washingtonianย that being federal employees, besides their salary, astronauts are paid the same as any employee at a business trip anywhere on Earth.
โThere is some small amount of money per day for incidentals that they end up being legally obligated to pay you,โ she said.
For her, it was around $4 (ยฃ3.19) per day.
If this is the case, both Williams and Wilmore would only be paid an extraย $1,004ย (ยฃ801.27)ย for their time.
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