Orion Crew: No Bonuses for Moon Mission

0:00It's April 9th. This is Calgary News Today, driven by AI, Artemis II. Just made history, flying farther from Earth than any humans before, by looping around the Moon's far side. Commander Reed Weisman, pilot Victor Glover, mission specialist Christina Koch, and Canada's Jeremy Hansen are all aboard the Orion spacecraft. Heading home for a splash-down off San Diego at about 8.07 pm on Friday, April 10th. Now, these astronauts trained for years and faced real dangers over 250,000 miles out, but their paychecks might surprise you. NASA lists the average annual salary around $152,258 for 2024, and it stays the same whether they're on the ground or orbiting the Moon. No bonuses for missions or overtime. Folks are buzzing about the risks and rewards, especially with Hansen becoming the first Canadian on a Moon mission. Prime Minister Mark Carney hopped on a video call from space, telling the crew, Canadians

1:02are super proud of their teamwork and the inspiration there. Sparking, worldwide. Carney even lighten the mood, asking if maple syrup beats Nutella on pancakes after a viral pick of the stuff floating in the capsule had everyone. Cracking up. Hansen and the team agreed, risk is key, but calculated and shared. As they wrap this milestone flight, all eyes are on that safe splash-down. Following bold steps into space don't always mean fat paydays, but they do. Push humanity forward.