Artemis II’s astronauts are on their way home—a six-figure salary but no overtime or hazard pay awaits them back on Earth

All eyes were on the Artemis II astronauts yesterday as they made history looping around the far side of the moon and traveling further into space than any humans ever.

But as the crew—three Americans, Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, along with Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen—heads back to Earth, there’s no financial windfall waiting for them. No performance bonus, overtime, or hazard pay, either.

Instead, the astronauts return to their government salary that tops out around $152,000 for U.S. crew members, with Canadian pay structured on a similar sliding scale.

For a mission that pushed the boundaries of human exploration, the compensation is strikingly ordinary—closer to a mid-career desk job, or even skilled trade jobs like electricians and HVAC technicians, than a once-in-a-generation journey around the moon. But like other federal employees traveling for work, the astronauts’ transportation, lodging, and meals are........

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