In comparison, bankers in New York make an average of $111,000 annually, without the risk of being exposed to an indefinite stay in dark, noiseless, uninhabited space.

The Starliner crew was originally meant to stay on board the ISS for a week, but issues with Boeing's Starliner spacecraft severely delayed their return to Earth.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Boeing's troubled Starliner capsule that left two NASA astronauts on the International Space Station last year may need to fly a third uncrewed test flight before it carries astronauts again, agency officials said as the spacecraft's first crew had to return to Earth on a SpaceX capsule this week.

NASA has shared the first images of Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams following the end of their epic nine-month space mission that was meant to last eight days.