Two NASA astronauts, Barry ‘Butch’ Wilmore and Sunita ‘Suni’ Williams, have finally returned to Earth after an unexpected extended stay on the International Space Station (ISS). Originally scheduled for just 8 days, their mission was prolonged due to malfunctions with their returning vehicle. They landed safely in Florida on March 18, thanks to a SpaceX Crew Dragon.

Their extended stay sparked speculation about a potential hefty overtime payout. After all, as one might say, “this is likely one of the weirdest extended work trips.” However, according to an expert, they won’t actually receive any significant extra pay for the inconvenience or additional work they did in space.

Despite the challenges, Suni and Butch handled the situation with professionalism. As they returned home, they “braced themselves as they came back to planet Earth.”
In the end, while their mission was longer and more complicated than planned, it seems their paychecks won’t reflect the extra effort.