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Can Astronauts get life insurance?

Actually, yes. Astronauts are considered military personnel and/or federal employees, and are eligible for the standard life insurance offered by the US Government. to military personnel and federal employees. However, there is no special coverage offered specifically for Astronauts, either by NASA or any of the thousands of insurance agencies worldwide.

As one might expect, getting private insurance if one is an Astronaut is pretty much a waste of time. Prior to Columbia, risk assessment for fighting in military combat was 1:20000 chance of the company having to pay out in the event of a soldier's death. By comparison, taking a ride through space has far worse odds - 1:300. So, by the way the insurance companies look at things, being an astronaut disqualifies you from most, if not all private life insurance far more easily than your average swabbo, grunt, flyboy or jarhead in a combat zone.

Of the Columbia crew, five astronauts were members of the US armed services and thus eligible for coverage under the servicemembers’ group life insurance plan, which has a standard death benefit of $250,000 USD. However, there is no increased payment for military members if the death is "work-related". Ergo, if you die in a trench or at the controls of a F/A-18 in a dogfight over Iraq, your beneficiaries will receive the same amount as if you'd died of a heart attack peeling spuds in the spud locker, or drinking coffee in the mess hall and choking to death when none of your platoon can remember the Heimlich Maneuver.

And then there's the issue of what's known in the armed services as "The Compact". As part of the bond between its constituents, both officer and enlisted, the military tends to take care of its own. In cases such as in the case of crew losses such as those of Columbia and, previously, Challenger, the US Military currently provides the surviving spouse $935 USD a month, with an additional $234 USD per child until age 18. The American members of the Columbia crew had a total of eight children, while the Israeli astronaut had four children. "The Compact" also provides other benefits such as $6,000 USD in cash for immediate needs as well as up to $6,900 USD for burial costs and housing allowances. These benefits are provided regardless of how the service member died.

NASA, by comparison, provides the surviving spouse half the deceased’s salary, plus $24,354 USD annually. In the case of the Columbia crew, this applies only to the lone civilian astronaut, Kalpana Chawla. As with the insurance coverage, NASA is not disclosing salaries of any of the crew, but according to the Government Accounting Office and NASA's PAO website, an Astronaut can earn anywhere from $56,247 USD to $86,974 USD annually. The same sources show that Chawla was eligible for coverage under Federal Employees Group Life Insurance, which provides basic coverage equal to the individual’s annual salary, plus an additional $2,000 USD. It also allows the worker to increase coverage up to $200,000 by taking more out of each monthly check in premiums. NASA and military officials would not say if the five had elected coverage and at what level, citing privacy considerations in declining to discuss specific insurance coverage of any individual.

As for Israeli astronaut Ilan Ramon, the only non-American aboard Columbia would have not been covered by either US or NASA insurance options, as he was neither a NASA employee or a member of the US armed forces. However, it is believed that he would have had life insurance coverage through his service in the Israeli Air Force.

Beyond the insurance, there's a form of "The Compact" that exists amongst NASA and its people. To NASA employees, they're more than just co-workers, they're all one big extended family. An internal support network exists that helps cover what the usual methods fail to help out with. According to NASA spokeswoman Eileen Hawley in an interview following the mishap, “We look at this as larger than a monetary issue...we are committed to helping these families and we have a support network.”

Part of that support network includes monies from a private fund established to help children whose parents died in the loss of Challenger in 1986. NASA officials urged the formation of the Space Shuttle Children's Trust Fund 17 years ago because NASA could not legally raise money for the children of the seven Challenger astronauts, and funds for such assistance programs were few and far between at the time. Since its inception, interest earned off the total amount raised was reportedly an estimated $1.2 million USD, and has put several of the Challenger kids through college.

In recent developments, on 2/4/03, Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.) introduced a bill in the US Senate that would give families of the Columbia astronauts the same tax benefits as families of military personnel killed in the line of duty. If passed, the measure to waive taxes on income that an astronaut who dies in the line of duty earns during the year of death or the previous year. Taxes also would be waived on any death benefit the family receives. The measure also would lower taxes on astronauts' estates and simplify rules for charitable groups aiming to help the astronauts' families.

Congress passed similar legislation in 2001 for families of victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks and the anthrax scare that followed, as well as the 1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City.

[NOTE: I've sent Sen. Baucus an RFI on the status of his bill and this specific rider. Hopefully I'll get an official answer soon that I can add to the FAQ.]

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Are there any financial assistance funds I can contribute to?

There are several trust funds set up to assist the survivors of the Columbia crew.

• Funds Benefiting All Columbia Families

The following are non-restrictive funds to meet the general or emergency needs of all Columbia families.

• The NASA Family Assistance Fund

  Formed in cooperation with the Federal Employee Education and Assistance Fund (FEEA), the NASA Family Assistance Fund will provide need-based financial assistance and educational assistance to the families of the seven Columbia astronauts, as well as to other families of NASA personnel who die as the result of personal injuries suffered in the performance of their official duties.

The money collected will be used to satisfy current expenses, with the primary goal of guaranteeing the education needs of the Columbia crew's 12 children as well as the children of other NASA personnel who die as the result of personal injuries suffered in the performance of their official duties. NASA employees, if they choose, may designate their contribution for all the Columbia families, for a particular Columbia family or family member, or for some other NASA family or family member.

Instructions for making contributions are available at the FEEA NASA Family Assistance Fund website.
 

• Columbia Families Fund
  
  The Columbia Families Fund is gathering donations to provide immediate financial assistance to the spouses and families of the Astronauts who were lost in the Columbia tragedy on February 1st. If desired, donations can be designated for a specific Columbia Family. The Columbia Families fund will gather and equally distribute undesignated donations directly to the families along with the specifically donated funds.

Additional information on this fund can be found at www.nationalsciencecenter.org/ColumbiaFamiliesFund.htm
 

• Columbia Shuttle Memorial Trust

The purpose of the Columbia Shuttle Memorial Trust is to ease this anguish for those who will feel it the deepest and the longest the families of the STS-107 crew and the communities affected by the recovery of the remains of Columbia and her crew. The Columbia Shuttle Memorial Trust was created in a unique collaboration of leaders from the U.S. entertainment and space industries.

Their vision is straightforward: Raise money to

(a) provide for the families of the Columbia crew
(b) memorialize the crew and the recovery effort in affected communities
(c) develop a living legacy to the hunger and thirst for knowledge embodied in the human exploration of Space

Additional information is available at the Columbia Shuttle Memorial Trust website
 

• Funds Benefiting Specific Columbia Families

The following have been established to meet the general or emergency needs of specific Columbia families.

ANDERSON FAMILY
	Columbia Families Fund Donations should be specified as intended for the Anderson family.

BROWN FAMILY
	Columbia Families Fund Donations should be specified as intended for the Brown family.

CHAWLA FAMILY
	Montsu Fund Established by the family of Kalpana Chawla to support science education for underprivileged children.     Columbia Families Fund Donations should be specified as intended for the Chawla family.

CLARK FAMILY
	Columbia Families Fund Donations should be specified as intended for the Clark family.

HUSBAND FAMILY
	Columbia Families Fund Donations should be specified as intended for the Husband family.

McCOOL FAMILY

Astronaut Willie McCool Memorial Fund This memorial fund has been established in honor of CDR William "Willie" McCool. Proceeds from this fund will be distributed to charities concerned with the education of at-risk children and the protection of the world's environment. All contributions to this fund are tax deductible and may be sent to the attention of Kirstie Chadwick, 4074 Tenita Drive, Winter Park, FL 32792. No website exists for this fund at this time.   Columbia Families Fund Donations should be specified as intended for the McCool family.

RAMON FAMILY
	Columbia Families Fund Donations should be specified as intended for the Ramon family.

• Funds Benefiting Columbia Children's Education

The following have been established to meet the educational and/or medical needs of the Columbia children.

• Space Shuttle Children's Trust Fund
  P.O. Box 34600
  Washington, DC
  20043-4600

The Space Shuttle Children's Trust Fund has been recognized by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service as exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and has been classified as a private foundation within the meaning of section 509(a) of the Internal Revenue Code. Donations are still being accepted through the Bank of America. For additional information about the Space Shuttle Children's Trust Fund, their website lists a contact number of 1-800-333-0784. Previous contact information has listed the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Fund, Delbert D. Smith at (202) 879-7600, as well as Michael J. Mendelson at (202) 879-3794. For press inquiries, please contact media liaison Gareth Conway, at (202) 879-4655.

For additional information on this fund, visit www.spaceshuttlekidsfund.org
 

• The Spirit of Texas Columbia Scholarship Fund
  c/o Sterling Bank
  P. O. Box 41027
  Houston, Texas 77241

The Spirit of Texas Columbia Scholarship Fund In addition, an independent effort between Houston TX's KHOU-TV (Channel 11, CBS) and the Houston Chronicle, the Sterling Bank of Houston has established a scholarship fund for the children of the Columbia crew. Members of the public can show their support for the families of the crew by making donations to the Spirit of Texas Columbia Scholarship Fund. Donations can be made at any Sterling Bank branch, or can y be mailed to the address listed above.

                For additional information on this fund, visit http://www.columbiashuttlefund.com/sf3.html
 

• Memorial Scholarships

• The Lt. Colonel Michael P. Anderson Memorial Diversity Scholarship
  
  A scholarship program at the University of Washington, designed to encourage underrepresented minority students to enroll in the sciences and engineering at the University, thereby contributing to Lt. Col. Anderson's dream of creating a highly educated, diverse pool of talented young people for the sciences in general, and the nation's space program in particular.
  
  For additional information on this scholarship, visit http://supportuw.washington.edu/michaelanderson/
  
   
• The Creighton University Michael P. Anderson Scholarship
  
  Gifts to the scholarship fund will support students studying physics, the department from which Michael earned a master's degree.
  
  For additional information on this scholarship, visit http://www.creighton.edu/development/anderson.html
  
   
• University of Illinois Anderson Fellowship.
  
  Also known as the Anderson Human Factors Award. Established to encourage and assist deserving African-American students at the University of Illinois Institute of Aviation, pursuing a professional pilots license and the Aviation Human Factors degree program.
  
  No website for this program exists at this time. For more information, please contact cwickens@uiuc.edu or dchrstns@uiuc.edu.
  
   
• The Michael P. Anderson Scholarship in Space Science
  
  The National Society of Black Physicists established this scholarship in Colonel Anderson's memory in the hopes of inspiring the next generation of space explorers. Michael was an accomplished physicist, a friend and supporter of the National Society of Black Physicists, a strong family man, and an inspirational national treasure. Through this scholarship, Michael's legacy continues to serve and support NSBP and the nation by developing and supporting our efforts to increase opportunities for African Americans in physics and astronomy.
  
  For additional information on this scholarship, visit http://nsbp.org/scholarships.html
  
   
• The Dr. Laurel Salton Clark Memorial Graduate Fellowship Award
  
  Established by the Wisconsin Space Grant Consortium in 2004 in honor of Dr. Laurel Clark, the award is granted annually to a promising Wisconsin graduate student attending a Wisconsin Space Grant institution, who is pursuing studies in the fields of environmental or life sciences, and whose research has an aerospace component. Additionally, the Wisconsin Space Grant Consortium seeks to support those students who personify the qualities of leadership, intellectual balance, and an ongoing commitment to improving the human condition that were the hallmarks of Dr. Clark's life.
  
  No special website exists for this scholarship at this time, and those wishing to contribute should contact those administrating the fund through Wisconsin Space Grant Consortium website.
  
   
• Astronaut Dave Brown Memorial Endowment
  
  This endowment will be used to defer expenses required to conduct a competitive intercollegiate men's gymnastics program at Dave Brown's alma mater, the College of William and Mary.
  
  Donations can be mailed to the following address:

Cliff Gauthier
William and Mary Athletics
P.O. Box 399
Williamsburg, VA 23187
ATTN: Astronaut Dave Brown Memorial Endowment

For additional information on this scholarship, visit http://web.wm.edu/so/gymnastics/dave_brown/
 

• Other Funds and Memorials

• Laurel Clark Memorial Fund

Contributions to the fund will benefit Defenders of Wildlife's work, which includes protection for wildlife and endangered species, as well as environmental education.

For more information on this fund, visit www.defenders.org/donate/memorial/
 

• Laurel Clark Environmental Education Endowment Fund
  (Provides educational outreach on environmental issues)

Donations can be mailed to the following address:

Laurel Clark Environmental Education Endowment Fund
c/o Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum
2021 N. Kinney Road
Tucson, AZ 85743

For more information on this fund and the Museum, visit http://www.desertmuseum.org/members/clark.html
 

• Astronauts Memorial Foundation

A private, not-for-profit organization approved by NASA to build and maintain two major facilities at the KSC Visitor Complex: The Space Mirror Memorial and The Center for Space Education.

To make a donation to the Astronaut Memorial Fund, contact:

Astronaut Memorial Foundation
Mail Code: AMF
Kennedy Space Center, FL 32899
321-452-2887

For more information on this fund and the AMF facilities, visit http://www.amfcse.org/
 

One aside note from those on the FAQ Team: Even if you can only send a couple of dollars - even Australian ones - to each of these funds, every little bit counts towards a very positive cause. If every person who'd visited this FAQ only once had donated just that small amount, the amount raised would have made Jerry Lewis jealous. So please, donate what you can when you can.