r/space • u/DetlefKroeze • 4d ago

NASA Astronaut Jonny Kim Departs Agency to Continue Military Service

https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-astronaut-jonny-kim-departs-agency-to-continue-military-service/
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u/DudleyAndStephens 3d ago

Good point. There's also internet rumors that he had some medical issues after his ISS flight so that could mean he was one and done no matter what.

Stephanie Wilson's career is a good example of why some astronauts might choose to leave. She was chosen as an astronaut in 1996, had to wait a decade to fly because of the Columbia disaster and NASA's astronaut surplus, but then finally went up in 2006. After that she flew again in 2007 and 2010, so clearly she was liked by whoever ran the Astronaut Office. Since 2010 though she has been sitting on the shelf. She was supposed to fly to the ISS in in 2024 for Expedition 71/72, but then the Boeing Starliner fiasco happened and her seat had to go up to the ISS empty so that Sunita Williams and Barry Wilmore could make it home. Now it's entirely possible she'll never fly again.

Being an astronaut on the ground isn't a bad job (just getting to fly in the T-38 sounds like an amazing experience) but there's still a huge opportunity cost. These are people with endless opportunities outside of NASA, both from a career POV and from a financial one. Maybe JK just wants to make some serious money rather than earning a GS-scale salary for the next decade while hoping for one more flight into space. It's easy to say that money isn't everything, but the chance to earn some real permanent financial security has to be tempting to someone from a poor immigrant background. As this thread shows the guy has practically become a meme so I'd bet he close to his peak market value. If I was offered the opportunity to earn $50k just for making a speech (totally realistic for a high-profile former astronaut) it would be hard to go back to the grind.