File picture of NASA astronauts Barry Wilmore and Suni Williams on the International Space Station
| Photo Credit: AP
U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday (March 21, 2025) said he would pay out of his pockets the overtime for astronauts Barry Wilmore and Sunita Williams, who returned to Earth this week after spending nine months in space.
The two astronauts, who were supposed to be on an eight-day mission, spent 286 days in space, 278 days longer than anticipated after their spacecraft malfunctioned.
While speaking with reporters in the Oval Office, Mr. Trump, when asked about the calculated overtime, said: “Nobody’s ever mentioned this to me. If I have to, I’ll pay it out of my own pocket.”
Mr. Trump said this when a Fox News reporter highlighted Wilmore and Williams each received $5 per diem for each day in space, amounting to $1,430 in extra pay.
According to NASA, Mr. Wilmore and Ms. Williams receive about $152,258 in annual salary.
A rescue crew brought Ms. Williams and Mr. Wilmore back to the Earth this week on a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule.
Mr. Trump also thanked Elon Musk, the head of Tesla, SpaceX and the leader of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Mr. Trump had, on January 28, 2025, said that he had tasked Elon Musk and SpaceX to bring back stranded NASA astronauts.
“Think if we don’t have him?” Mr. Trump said. “If we don’t have Elon. They could be up there a long time. Who is else is going to get them?”
He noted that the “body starts to deteriorate” after a few months orbiting in space.
Published – March 22, 2025 03:17 pm IST
