Will Sunita Williams be compensated for her nine months of overtime? An ex-astronaut discloses

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore are finally returning to Earth after having overstayed at the International Space Station (ISS) for quite a bit. After the Boeing Starliner spacecraft they were testing on its first crewed flight experienced propulsion problems and was judged unsuitable to return them to Earth, the pair has remained aboard the ISS since June of last year.

Butch Wilmore, Sunita Williams, another American astronaut, and a Russian cosmonaut were all on board a SpaceX Crew Dragon craft that arrived at the ISS Sunday to transport them home.

Earlier this month, the astronauts who were scheduled to return in a week after Boeing's maiden astronaut journey to the ISS reached the nine-month mark. This raises the question of whether Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore receive overtime compensation for their prolonged stay in space, as is customary for many workers in other industries.