Astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore, who extended their stay on the International Space Station (ISS) for 278 days, received only a $5 daily allowance and their standard salary. NASA clarified that astronauts do not earn overtime or additional compensation for holidays, treating their space missions as federal travel. Comparatively, their meager allowance is less than jury duty pay, despite the extreme working conditions in space. While their annual salary is notable, concerns arise over the fairness of such minimal day-to-day compensation during prolonged missions.
In fact, astronauts on the ISS don't ever receive overtime, or extra pay on holidays and weekends, as spokesperson Jim Russell of the space agency's Space Operations Mission Directorate told the newspaper.
To put that figure in perspective: most states (except for New Jersey and Mississippi) pay jurors more than that per day - and also, jury duty doesn't take place in the extreme environment of space.
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