Fringe Benefit From Space

The U.S. astronauts are legitimate space-age heroes, dedicated men who risk their lives on lean military salaries modestly enhanced by the flight pay that is partially earned in orbit: some $80 for every quick trip around the earth. But there are fringe benefits too: the seven original spacemen got about $70,000 each for selling personal accounts of their experiences to LIFE. Last week, their ranks swollen by nine new volunteers, the astronauts did just about as well with the second chapter of their story. For a total of $1,040,000, they sold the publishing rights to LIFE and to Field Enterprises Educational Corp. of Chicago.

Under the terms of the four-year contracts approved by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, each of the 16 astronauts will get $6,250 a year from LIFE and $10,000 a year from Field Enterprises. When more astronauts come along (NASA may add 10 to 15 more men to the Apollo and Gemini programs), they will be offered the same. As in the previous contract, a careful distinction is drawn between information about the space program, which NASA rightfully considers public and not for sale, and the astronauts' "personal stories" -- first-person experiences related by the men themselves and members of their families.

For its money, LIFE gets domestic magazine rights to the astronauts' story. Field Enterprises, which is owned by Chicago Publisher Marshall Field Jr. (Chicago Sun-Times, Chicago Daily News, World Book Encyclopedia), acquired newspaper syndication and book rights as its share of the bargain. Field has formed World Book Encyclopedia Science Service in order to syndicate the astronauts' stories on an international scale.

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