NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams returned safely to Earth yesterday (18 March) after spending 286 days in space—far longer than planned. They left Earth last June as test pilots for Boeing’s Starliner mission but faced technical issues, leading to an unexpected nine-month stay on the International Space Station (ISS).

Originally, they were set to spend just eight days in orbit. Instead, they logged an extra 278 days. Naturally, people are wondering how much extra pay they’ll receive. Surprisingly, it might not be much.

NASA hasn’t revealed the exact payout. However, former astronaut Cady Coleman said astronauts get “no overtime” beyond their salary. Coleman explained they receive a small daily incidental allowance, which was about $4 a day when she flew.

If that figure still holds, Butch and Suni might get an additional $1,144 for their extended time in space. Their reported annual salaries are around $125,133 for Wilmore and $162,672 for Williams. As Coleman put it, they are “legally obligated to pay you” that incidental money.
Despite early rumors, NASA insists they were never stranded. They simply joined the regular ISS crew after schedule changes.