'We will pay from our pockets': Trump's shocked reaction on Sunita's overtime in space

 US astronauts are government officials and they receive fixed salary, irrespective of the number of days spent in space. NASA pays for their travel, food and accommodation but does not pay for the additional time they work. Under these circumstances, the debate over how much money will be paid to Sunita Williams, who had spent 9 months in space, has gained momentum.

Debate also occurred in the US Parliament.

When the news became known to US President Donald Trump, he declared that he would pay overtime to Williams and Wilmore from his pocket. The incident occurred when the two astronauts had recently come back to Earth. Their space mission began for a week in June 2024, but the mission became longer by 278 days due to technical issues.

Question posed to Trump

At a White House press conference, when questioned whether these astronauts would receive additional pay, Trump replied, "Nobody spoke to me about it, but I will pay it out of my own pocket if necessary."

Under NASA regulations, both of these will not get any additional overtime pay. Yet, NASA provides them a nominal allowance, and that is a meager $ 5 (approximately Rs 430) per day. As per this, Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore will receive only dollar 1,430 (Rs 1,22,980.50) for 278 days. When the amount was shown to Trump, he was shocked and stated, "Is that all? It is too little for the time and hardships they endured."

How much is Sunita Williams' salary?

NASA astronauts typically work 40 hours a week but are prohibited from overtime, holidays or weekends. Reportedly, Sunita Williams is a GS-15 grade employee, and her gross annual pay is $ 1,52,258 (roughly Rs 1.30 crore), including health insurance and housing allowance.