Being an astronaut means getting a likely chance to walk through space, control robotic arms and take part in some scientific events. However, apart from the loss of balance, the inevitable muscle atrophy and bone wasting, astronauts also need to live on Earth for something. How much is paid to a person conducting tests in outer space?
American astronauts
According to information published on the social knowledge sharing service Quora, NASA astronaut salaries are calculated according to the generally accepted General Schedule pay scale. On the official website of the American government, OPM, these data are published in an open form. Thus, the site mentions amounts from $ 220,742 to $ 290,715 (do not forget that in the USA it is more customary to talk about annual salaries). But the Americans are paid a symbolic bonus for spacewalk. For six months, they can charge about a couple of hundred dollars.
Russian cosmonauts
The numbers turned out to be a little more difficult to obtain. A few summaries from news agencies and interviews with former employees of Roscosmos are available. Data from 2012 give a monthly salary of 64 thousand rubles for cosmonauts and about 90 thousand rubles for instructors (cosmonauts with space flight experience). It should be noted that at that time the dollar was worth about 30 rubles. But these are only basic payments, to which decent bonuses and allowances are relied. Domestic cosmonauts are paid additional payments for spacewalks - for example, for 6 months of work in orbit, they can earn about $ 130-150 thousand.
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How many people are in space now
Today, the need for the presence of various specialists on the ISS ranges from 6 to 12 people. This means that the vast majority of those wishing to visit outer space will be forced to remain at the center for training astronauts on earth.