Two Australian-born individuals, Paul Scully-Power (1984) and Andy Thomas (1996-2005), have flown to space as NASA astronauts, but they became U.S. citizens to do so; while others like Philip Chapman trained with NASA, they didn't fly, and there are currently aspiring Australians training, but Scully-Power and Thomas remain the only Australians to have actually traveled to space.
An Adelaide-born boy who grew up playing with rockets and dreamed of becoming an astronaut, Andy Thomas became Australia's first member of NASA's elite astronaut corps. He flew four missions over 12 years, spending a total of 6 months in space.
The first countries to send humans to space were the Soviet Union and the United States in 1961. The governments were the two predominant superpowers, racing to space as part of the Cold War. However, in the intervening 60+ years, people from over 70 countries have been to space.
$94,751 (AUD)/yr
In addition, they earn an average bonus of $2,170. Salary estimates based on salary survey data collected directly from employers and anonymous employees in Australia. An entry level astronaut (1-3 years of experience) earns an average salary of $68,549.
The crew of the 10-day flight includes former NASA astronaut Michael López-Alegría and paying passengers Larry Connor, Mark Pathy and Eytan Stibbe. The three businessmen paid $55 million apiece.
Civilian. 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.
Yes, there has been an alleged crime in space, sparking the first NASA criminal investigation in orbit involving astronaut Anne McClain accessing her estranged spouse's bank account from the International Space Station (ISS) in 2019, though she was later cleared and her ex-spouse charged with making false statements, highlighting the legal complexities of jurisdiction in space. While no major crimes have been prosecuted in space, this incident proved the "long arm of the law" can reach orbit, with astronauts remaining under their home nation's laws for offenses committed on the ISS, according to intergovernmental agreements.
Armstrong and Scott received the NASA Exceptional Service Medal, and the Air Force awarded Scott the Distinguished Flying Cross as well. Scott was promoted to lieutenant colonel, and Armstrong received a $678 raise in pay to $21,653 a year (equivalent to $209,845 in 2024), making him NASA's highest-paid astronaut.
Jobs paying $500k+ in Australia are primarily in highly specialized fields like Medical Specialists (surgeons, anaesthetists), Senior Finance/Executive Roles (CFO, Head of Treasury, Investment Directors), and high-end Sales & Construction Management (Elite Stockbrokers, Senior Project Managers/Estimators in complex sectors). While roles like Neurosurgeon and Ophthalmologist average well over $500k, achieving this in other sectors often involves performance-based bonuses or leading major projects, with opportunities listed on job boards like SEEK and Jora.
Becoming an astronaut can take approximately 10 years. This includes four years of college, two years for a master's degree, two years of professional experience and then two years in the NASA Astronaut Corps.
Krikalev is sometimes referred to as the "last Soviet citizen," having been aboard Mir during the dissolution of the Soviet Union. With the country that launched him no longer existing, his return was delayed, and he remained in space for 311 days—twice as long as planned.
Once every 176 years, the giant planets on the outer reaches of the solar system all gather on one side of the sun, and such a configuration was due to occur in the late 1970s.
The magnitude of this scale factor (nearly 300,000 kilometres or 190,000 miles in space being equivalent to one second in time), along with the fact that spacetime is a manifold, implies that at ordinary, non-relativistic speeds and at ordinary, human-scale distances, there is little that humans might observe that is ...
3 cosmonauts on the Soyuz 11 mission who died in 1971 when returning from a Soviet space station. Their return capsule suffered an accidental decompression. However, their bodies were returned to Earth since the capsule was fully automated. So there are currently no bodies in space.
The UPA, cramps and periods generally being a bit messy, mean many astronauts now choose to not menstruate on missions. By taking birth control in the form of a hormonal pill, people who menstruate can induce amenorrhea (say: uh-men-o-REE-uh).
Five Australian inventions we take for granted
To be in Australia's top 1% of individual taxpayers, you generally need an annual income of around $375,000 to $390,000, though figures vary slightly by source and year, with higher thresholds for households (around $530,000). For context, the median individual income is much lower (around $55,000), and while top earners often include surgeons and anaesthetists, reaching the top 1% of net worth requires significantly more wealth, often exceeding $7 million.
The #1 highest-paying job is consistently in the medical field, with Surgeons and Anesthesiologists often topping lists globally and in countries like Australia, earning over $400,000 AUD on average due to extensive training and high-pressure responsibilities, though roles like Financial Dealers, CEOs, and specialized Engineers also rank high.
Here are some of the lowest-paid jobs in Australia:
Neil Armstrong was an American astronaut, public speaker, corporate board member aeronautical engineer, and naval aviator who had a net worth equal to $8 million at the time of his death in 2012 (adjusted for inflation).
Given their extended 9-month mission, their earnings will be prorated to about $93,850 to $122,004 (around Rs 81 lakh to Rs 1.05 crore). While that might sound impressive, here's where it gets amusing—Nasa does not pay astronauts overtime.
Armstrong's widow and estate executor, Carol, agreed to the settlement without receiving any of the money. In this case, Carol did not personally receive any money and instead distributed the money from the settlement to Armstrong's two sons, his brother and sister, and his six grandchildren.
Fresh milk is yet another commodity prohibited in space due to its perishable nature. Milk would spoil within a few hours in the zero-gravity environment, which would be harmful for health if not refrigerated. Astronauts use powdered or ultra-pasteurized milk instead, which has a much longer shelf life.
Cosmonaut Sergei Krikalev spent 311 days stranded in space after the Soviet Union collapsed during his mission. His stay in space was originally planned as a five-month trip aboard the Mir Space Station.