• President Donald Trump will personally pay the overtime compensation for NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore, who spent 286 days in space – far exceeding their planned eight-day mission. He criticized the $1,430 overtime pay they received as inadequate for their sacrifices.
• The astronauts were stranded aboard the International Space Station (ISS) after their Boeing Starliner spacecraft faced technical and logistical challenges, turning a short test flight into one of the longest unplanned space missions in history.
• Williams and Wilmore endured significant physical and psychological challenges, including muscle atrophy and bone density loss, while conducting critical scientific experiments and maintaining the ISS.
• Trump praised Elon Musk and SpaceX, whose Crew Dragon capsule ultimately brought the astronauts home, highlighting the importance of having multiple transportation options in space exploration.
• The incident has sparked a broader conversation about how NASA compensates astronauts for extended missions, with Trump’s gesture drawing attention to the need for fair recognition of the sacrifices made by those in space exploration.

President Donald Trump has pledged to personally cover the overtime pay for astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore, in light of the measly overtime pay they received from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

Trump’s announcement came during a press briefing in the Oval Office on March 21, where he expressed disbelief at the paltry $1,430 in extra pay the astronauts received for their extended stay aboard the International Space Station (ISS). The two spent an astonishing 286 days in space, far longer than their originally planned eight-day mission.

“If I have to, I’ll pay it out of my own pocket,” Trump declared. The president emphasized that the compensation Williams and Wilmore received from NASA was inadequate for the sacrifices they endured.

The astronauts, who were initially sent to the ISS in June 2024 for a short test flight of Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft, found themselves stranded due to a series of technical and logistical challenges. Their mission, which was supposed to last just over a week, stretched into nearly 10 months, making it one of the longest unplanned stays in space history. (Related: Report: NASA prioritized WOKENESS over space research during Biden’s presidency.)

The astronauts’ ordeal highlights the complexities and risks of space exploration

NASA’s standard overtime pay for astronauts is a mere $5 per day, a figure that Trump called “not a lot for what they had to go through.” While astronauts earn a base salary of approximately $152,000 annually, the additional compensation for extended missions has drawn criticism for failing to reflect the physical and psychological toll of prolonged space travel.

The astronauts’ ordeal highlights the complexities and risks of space exploration. Living in microgravity for extended periods can lead to significant health issues including muscle atrophy, bone density loss and changes in blood circulation. Williams and Wilmore not only endured these challenges but also contributed to critical scientific experiments and maintenance tasks aboard the ISS, ensuring the station’s continued operation.

Trump also took the opportunity to praise Elon Musk and SpaceX, whose Crew Dragon capsule ultimately brought the astronauts home. Space X has become a cornerstone of NASA’s commercial crew program, providing a reliable means of transporting astronauts to and from the ISS. “If we don’t have Elon, they could be up there a long time,” the president mused.

Trump’s offer to cover the astronauts’ overtime pay raises important questions about how NASA compensates its astronauts for extraordinary missions. While NASA officials have stated that astronauts are informed of the possibility of mission extensions before launch, the financial and emotional toll of such extensions remains a contentious issue.

Watch Sean Hannity of Fox News discussing SpaceX’s role in the rescue of the two stranded astronauts in this clip.

This video is from the NewsClips channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

SpaceX capsule rescues stranded astronauts at the International Space Station.

SpaceX brings stranded astronauts home after nearly 10 months in space.

Military trains for astronaut rescues at sea amid rising space travel and ISS missions.

Sources include:

TheEpochTimes.com

FoxBusiness.com

NYPost.com

Brighteon.com