The space saga of Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore might’ve finally come to an end, but now the pair are back on solid Earth, it doesn’t seem the media is letting up on its obsession with them.
Having been stranded on the International Space Station for a whopping nine months, Williams and Wilmore eventually made it back to Earth with a bump – thanks to a little help from President Donald Trump and Elon Musk. Although the pair were only supposed to be in space for eight days, it turned into an epic 286 days.
Their story grabbed headlines around the world, with Musk even claiming the Biden administration ‘abandoned’ them up there for political reasons. While the NASA astronauts claim they weren’t abandoned up there, we’re sure they’re glad to be home.
Trump has promised to pay for Williams and Wilmore’s ‘overtime’ (Handout / Handout / Getty)
Still, things are only just beginning, with Williams and Wilmore quickly being rushed away on stretchers and thrown straight into a brutal 45-day rehab regime. Even though you might hope they’ll be paid handsomely for their time in the stars, their pay is actually a shockingly small amount. Trump vowed to make sure they’re compensated for their time in the immediate aftermath of their March 18 touchdown
As eported by the Daily Mail, Trump was informed that there would be no official overtime contingent for Williams and Wilmore, prompting the POTUS to say: “Nobody’s ever mentioned this to me. If I have to, I’ll pay it out of my own pocket. I’ll take care of it.”
It comes after Wilmore’s daughter claimed her father would only get $5 extra per day he was up in space, which works out at a pretty meager $1,430. This will be added to their annual salary, which could be anywhere between $125,00 and $163,000.
Still, it sounds like Trump is willing to pay for their $5 incidentals and maybe something a little extra on the top.
Former NASA astronaut Cady Coleman said that astronauts only receive a basic salary without overtime benefits, although they do get a small sum for ‘incidentals’. Coleman went on to explain he got $4 a day for here 159-day mission in 2010, coming in at $636.
Speaking to People, a NASA spokesperson explained why astronauts don’t get paid overtime, stating: “While in space, NASA astronauts are on official travel orders as federal employees, so their transportation, lodging, and meals are provided. They also are on long-term TDY, and receive the incidentals amount for each day they are in space. The incidentals amount is reduced by the percentage required for the length of the trip per federal travel regulations.”
It seems that most of NASA’s money is going elsewhere, but with it costing a whopping $69.75 million to launch a Falcon rocket in 2024, going to space isn’t a cheap endeavor.
More than just not being paid handsomely for their extended stay in space, Williams and Wilmore are expected to be dealing with some serious side effects from long-term stays in space. As well as coping with muscle loss and being bombarded with potentially cancerous radiation, there’s an unexpected side effect that could lead to them speaking differently. Considering the astronauts now have months of rehab to ensure, it hardly seems worth it for an extra $1,430.
Featured Image Credit: Anna Moneymaker / Staff / Getty
‘Stranded’ NASA astronauts send message to Elon Musk and Donald Trump before returning to Earth after 9 months on ISS
The pair are on their way back to Earth
The long-awaited return for two stranded astronauts is finally in sight after spending what will be an insane 286 days in space.
Sunita ‘Suni’ Williams and Barry ‘Butch’ Wilmore were only expected to be on the International Space Station (ISS) for eight days, a mission which started back in June 2024.
However, a series of technical malfunctions on the Boeing Starliner made their return to Earth almost impossible. As such, the pair’s over-nine-month stay on the satellite made national news headlines.
NASA had initially planned a return in February, but the mission faced delays due to technical issues with a rocket clamp arm.
Then, on March 12, another attempt was made to launch a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft from Kennedy Space Center, but was aborted at the last minute due to a hydraulic issue with the launch tower.
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After multiple setbacks, Crew-10 successfully reached the ISS on Sunday 16 March, aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule – where they were met with a surprise welcome from crewmate Nick Hague.
As they made preparations for their journey home, Williams and Wilmore took a moment to send a message of gratitude to Elon Musk and Donald Trump on X, thanking them for their role in the astronauts’ return.
“We’re coming back before long, so don’t make all those plans without me,” Williams said. “We’ll be back before too long.” Musk reposted the video on Sunday, adding heart and rocket emojis.
Likewise, President Trump reshared the video on his own social media platform, Truth Social.
“All of us have the utmost respect for Mr [Elon] Musk and obviously respect and admiration for our president of the United States, Donald Trump,” Wilmore said. “We appreciate them and we appreciate all they do for us, human spaceflight for our nation, and we’re thankful for the positions they are in.”
Crew-10 arrived at the ISS in the early hours of Sunday 16 March. Brandon Bell / Staff / Getty
After a lot of political spout, with Musk accusing the Biden administration of ‘abandoning,’ Trump ordered his close ally and CEO of SpaceX to bring them back.
Asked about the stranded astronauts, Trump had said: “We love you and we’re coming up to get you and you shouldn’t have been up there so long.
“The most incompetent president in our history has allowed that to happen to you… I’ve authorized Elon Musk to go and get them and he’s prepared to do so.” (sic)
With Crew-10 now onboard, they will take over ISS operations, replacing Williams, Wilmore, and Crew-9 astronauts Nick Hague and Aleksandr Gorbunov. The new team, including Commander Anne McClain, pilot Nichole Ayers, JAXA astronaut Takuya Onishi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov, is set to spend the next six months on the station.
Barring any further delays, NASA expects Williams and Wilmore’s return journey to begin on 18 March at 1:05 am, with their capsule set to splash down off the Florida coast at approximately 5:57 pm. But adapting to life on Earth again will not be without its challenges.
Featured Image Credit: NASA
NASA finally reveals $30,000,000,000 reason ‘stranded’ astronauts have been left in space for nine months
Sunita Williams and Butch Williams’ return to Earth has been delayed
It looks like ‘stranded’ NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore will have to spend a few more days on the International Space Station, but when you’ve been up there for 280 days, what’s a few more between friends? Having missed birthdays, holidays, and even tucking into a Thanksgiving dinner in the stars, Williams and Wilmore have become the center of a media storm.
President Donald Trump called on Elon Musk to fly up there and rescue them, while the world’s richest man accused the Biden administration of using them as political pawns. NASA is finally setting out to swap Williams and Wilmore’s positions on the ISS with the Crew-10 team, although a last-minute cancelation of their launch means the planned rescue mission is now targeting a March 14 blast-off.
Although Williams and Wilmore’s original mission was only supposed to last eight days, problems with their Boeing Starliner meant the craft was flown back unmanned. The SpaceX Crew-9 astronauts docked with the ISS on September 29, and with two spare seats on their craft, they’ll take Williams and Wilmore down with them when their Crew-10 replacements eventually arrive.
Wilmore and Williams have had their return delayed (whoisinspace.com)
There have been questions about why NASA didn’t simply send up another crew to swap out the marooned pair, but now, NASA associate administrator for space operations Ken Bowersox has explained why they’ve been left aboard the ISS for 280 days (and counting). As always, it comes down to money. According to the Daily Mail, NASA’s 2024 budget only stretched to $30 billion, meaning there wasn’t enough left in the pot to send another mission up to rescue the pair.
NASA ultimately decided the funds couldn’t be stretched, with Bowersox explaining: “The SpaceX folks helped us folks helped us with a lot of options on how we would bring Sunny and Butch home on Dragon [a capsule] in a contingency.
“They’ve been so helpful this last year, coming up with those options. When it comes to adding on missions or or bringing uh a capsule home early, those were always options.”
Now targeting no earlier than Friday, March 14 for Falcon 9’s launch of @NASA‘s Crew-10 mission → spacex.com/launches/missi…
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Discussing the allegations that they were left in space for political reasons, Bowesox said although there ‘may have been conversations’ in the White House, he wasn’t part of them.
Speaking at a press conference, SpaceX Vice President Bill Gerstenmaier said that NASA leaving Williams and Wilmore up there meant the agency could “use Sunny and Butch in a very productive manner” and ‘keep the science going’. If they had brought them back earlier, it would’ve left a skeleton crew of astronauts to conduct research on the ISS.
The Daily Mail then goes on to highlight the apparent $20 million that NASA spent on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) grants and contracts during the 2024 budget period.
Elsewhere, a 2024 Inspector General report uncovered’ inappropriate use’ of award fees, including more than $77 million that NASA has reportedly paid for SLS boosters and engines contracts since 2020.
At least the end is (hopefully) in sight for Williams and Wilmore’s extended stay in space, as when the Crew-10 team gets there, there will be a two-day period of handover before they’ll finally be heading back to Earth and straight into a ‘brutal’ rehab regime.
Featured Image Credit: CBS NEWS
Trump says he’ll personally pay ‘stranded’ NASA astronauts for their 9 months in space after realising their overtime rate
Trump has vowed to ‘make up’ their pay from his own pocket
‘Stranded’ NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore might be in luck, as US President Donald Trump has revealed that he’ll personally pay them for their time in space after their overtime wages are revealed.
Wilmore and WIlliams have finally returned back to Earth following a lengthy stay in space, as their initial eight day mission on board the International Space Station (ISS) turned into 285 days after technical issues delayed their journey back.
They thankfully landed into the ocean last Wednesday, and while concerns remain surrounding their health as they were stretchered immediately to a medical facility, they’re definitely glad to be back home with their families.
The stranded astronauts landed back on Earth last wednesday, and were immediately transported to a medical facility (Keegan Barber/NASA via Getty Images)
President Trump has made their return a significant part of his first few months in office, requesting that SpaceX CEO Elon Musk should ‘go get’ the pair, as he was previously instructed by NASA to do, while also blaming the Biden administration for ‘leaving’ them there for so long.
While he has made some rather bizarre claims regarding their relationship, both astronauts have thanked Trump and Musk for their efforts in bringing them back home.
They might soon be thanking Trump again though, as he’s now vowed to personally pay them for their time on board the ISS after their ‘overtime’ wages were revealed to him, as reported by the Daily Mail.
While it might seem unfair, NASA protocol indicates that astronauts get functionally no extra money for when they’re in space, and simply get a daily extra allocation for incidentals that’s akin to what you might get if you were away at a conference for your job.
Former NASA astronauts and Wilmore’s own daughter have confirmed that this daily allocation is roughly $5, which would mean that the pair’s 285 day stay would have only netted them an extra $1,425 each – or around half a week’s salary if you’re going by the top astronaut salary of $163,000 per year.
When learning this news, President Trump remarked: “Nobody’s ever mentioned this to me. If I have to, I’ll pay it out of my own pocket. I’ll take care of it.”
How much he’s actually indicating will be paid is currently unclear, but it would almost certainly be a lot if he’s planning on forking out their hourly rate for the entire time they spent in space.
Trump has claimed that he’ll pay for their time in space out of his own pocket (Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images)
They spent roughly 6,840 hours while in space, so at roughly an hourly rate of $78.37 they would have earned $536,050, or $373,050 in overtime pay, and that’s not taking into consideration whether overtime would be boosted!
As a result, the pair would get close to one billion dollars combined, which Trump claims he would be willing to pay out of his own pocket. Forbes currently estimate that the president’s personal net worth is currently $4.9 billion, but Axois claims this could extend towards $56.6 billion based on the success of the $TRUMP cryptocurrency that was released during the inauguration.
This particular meme coin not only made 500 Americans millionaires overnight, and reports indicate that around 80% of his net worth was invested into the cryptocurrency, which was likely sold at it’s peak for massive gains.
Featured Image Credit: Anna Moneymaker / Staff / Getty
Brutal health tests ‘stranded’ NASA astronauts go through in 45-day rehab following nine months in space
It’s only just starting for Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore
It was a rescue mission that gripped the world, but after nine months of being left aboard the International Space Station, Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore are finally back on terra firma.
Although Williams insisted they weren’t ‘stranded’, Elon Musk accused the Biden administration of ‘abandoning’ the pair of NASA astronauts.
We didn’t get a chance to hear their thoughts on what it was like when their eight-day mission turned into 286 days, nor what they felt during their 17-hour flight back to Earth.
While we were warned that Williams, Wilmore, and Crew-9 astronauts Nick Hague and Aleksandr Gorbunov would be carried away on stretchers, it didn’t stop onlookers from being shocked by their seemingly frail condition.
Williams and Wilmore are especially in the spotlight having spent so long in space, although their stay falls some way short of Francisco ‘Frank’ Rubio holding the record for the longest time an American astronaut has spent in space – clocking up 371 days.
Williams and Wimore were helped onto stretchers before being whisked away (NASA)
All four astronauts will now be entered into a brutal rehab regime that will deal with more than just them having ‘baby feet’ skin.
There could be some lifelong issues due to spending such a long time in space, with osteoporosis, weakened heart muscles, and even an increased possibility of cancer.
NASA’s Commercial Crew Program Steve Stich confirmed, “The crew’s doing great,” although they were quickly whisked away for medical examinations, then supposedly flown to Houston for further checks and to start their 45-day recovery.
The Astronaut Strength, Conditioning and Rehabilitation (ASCR) group monitors the health of astronauts, pre, mid, and post-flight, with specialist programs designed to help recondition them against the effects of spending so much time without gravity.
NASA reiterates the 45-day rehab is split into three distinct phases. The first focuses on “ambulation, flexibility and muscle strengthening” through low-intensity exercise and physical therapy mainly through low-intensity physical exercises and light physical therapy.
The second adds “proprioceptive exercise and cardiovascular conditioning,” and with your time in space leading to a shift in fluid alongside weakening of heart muscles, their cardiovascular fitness is increased through the likes of treadmills and resistance devices. Of course, the astronauts have already been used to undertaking up to two hours of exercise a day on the ISS.
Phase 3 is the longest and “focuses on functional development.” This is the one that will try to get Williams and Wilmore back to where they were before blasting off in June 2024 through mid-intensity exercises.
NASA says that the programs are tailored to each individual astronaut based on their post-flight test results, preferred exercise activities, and the duties they undertook while on the ISS. It adds that while most return to (or even exceed) their pre-flight fitness after 45 days, “Some crew members subjectively indicated the need for a longer rehabilitation period.”
It concluded: “The current rehabilitation program for returning ISS crew members seems adequate in content but may need to be extended for longer expeditions.”
Although we’re yet to hear from Williams and Wilmore, we’re sure one of the first questions they’ll be asked is about how they feel going straight into a 45-day exercise regime. If we were them, we’d just want a double cheeseburger and an XL portion of fries.
