Ultimately, while astronauts' salaries are generally modest while they're working, they can still sometimes get a hefty payout once they retire from active duty. In short: no, astronauts do not get paid for life.
The pay grades for civilian astronaut candidates are set by federal government pay scales and vary based on academic achievements and experience. According to NASA , civilian astronaut salaries range from $104,898 to $161,141 per year. Here are a few of the benefits offered to civilian astronauts: Health care.
How Much Armstrong Was Paid To Walk on the Moon. Armstrong's historic moonwalk lasted two hours and 40 minutes. Based on his salary and a 40-hour work week, that means he would have been paid roughly $33 for his time on the moon.
Total Pay Estimate & Range
The estimated total pay for a Astronaut at SpaceX is $140,840 per year. This number represents the median, which is the midpoint of the ranges from our proprietary Total Pay Estimate model and based on salaries collected from our users. The estimated base pay is $110,846 per year.
Astronauta Salaries in Australia
The national average salary for a Astronauta is $90,000 in Australia.
He said parents, children and spouses were all compensated and astronauts with doctoral degrees received a bit more than those who held master's degrees. "It wasn't a lot of money. A few million (dollars) isn't much," he said. "We had to prove our loved ones were worth something."
Astronauts undertake several years of training before being ready to join a space mission. They typically work around 40 hours per week on Earth and space missions are intensive and demanding, and could last from six months to a year.
Astronauts have the most stressful, and dangerous, of occupations and their training is the gold standard for successfully managing emotions in emergencies.
And yet, it is not an easy career to pursue. For a qualified person with several years of learning and training, the chances of becoming an astronaut in NASA is less than 0.17 per cent and in the European Space Agency (ESA) is between 0.6 per cent and four per cent.
Advancement Prospects
Those who gain experience as astronauts will likely work into positions of management as they retire from actual flight status. Some astronauts may direct future space programs or head space laboratories or factories. Some astronauts return to military service and may continue to rise in rank.
Like all civil servants, astronauts hired after Jan. 1, 1984 participate in the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS), a three-tiered retirement plan including Social Security, a pension plan and an optional Thrift Savings Plan. Military astronauts are detailed to NASA for a specified tour of duty.
In addition to meeting all physical requirements, aspiring astronauts must have a master's degree and at least two years of relevant work experience. Then comes the hard part. Astronauts must pass the NASA long-duration flight astronaut physical.
The average base salary of a space scientist is ₹3,15,000 per year. The average base salary of a scientist/engineer in ISRO is ₹4,80,000 per year.
An astronaut's schedule on the ISS consists of 8.5 hours for sleep. 6.5 hours for scheduled work tasks, 2.5 hours scheduled for required exercise, and 1 hour scheduled for lunch. A week consists of five and a half days scheduled for working nominal tasks with 1.5 days off.
As of May 12, 2023, the average monthly pay for a Nasa Astronaut in the United States is $3,882 a month.
Eventually, astronauts have to come home, and some experience personal difficulties adapting to not being in space anymore. According to a 2017 study conducted by the US National Library of Medicine, the average age of retirement for astronauts is approximately 48 years old.
There are no age restrictions for the program. Astronaut candidates selected in the past have ranged between the ages of 26 and 46, with the average age being 34.
I recall reading when NASA started the astronaut program the candidates had to have an IQ of at least 130. I don't know what the current standards are but most, if not all, astronauts are either highly experienced military pilots or have an advanced degree, usually as Ph. D., in a science field.
Just like us mere Earthlings, they work regular hours, with plenty of free time to unwind. They even get weekends off—barring any cause for alarm on the International Space Statoin (ISS) that requires immediate attention, like dodging space debris.
NASA is the only space agency in the world that has this regulation. NASA's official explanation for this regulation is that the presence of a married couple aboard a space mission could potentially become disturbing to the other astronauts.
The ISS crew spends their day working on science experiments that require their input. They also monitor experiments that are controlled from the ground. These astronauts also take part in medical experiments to determine how well their bodies are adjusting to microgravity for long periods of time.
U.S. civilian astronauts at NASA are paid on the federal government's general schedule, between grades GS11 and GS14 depending on their experience, according to NASA. The general schedule for 2023 suggests a NASA astronaut's base pay can range between $59,319 and $129,878.
The ability of astronauts to obtain much life insurance was limited, so they signed hundreds of postal covers before they left, on the presumption that they would become highly valuable in the event of their death.
In addition to the international space agencies, several of the world's billionaires also have space programs now. For example, SpaceX's starting salary range for an astronaut is $120,000 to $200,000 depending on experience level and other factors. Musk has even stated he would pay astronauts who go to Mars $500,000.