It's the job that puts the average 9–5 to shame. But while being an astronaut is a career many dream of, you might wonder how well it pays. Compared to office workers – who may complain about their commute – these highly–trained individuals are regularly launched into space at 17,500mph. While Earth-based employees might not rate their office canteen or grumble about the lack of toilets in the workplace, astronauts live off dehydrated food packets and must use specially–designed bathrooms. So you'd be forgiven for thinking that astronauts get paid a hefty wage for their daredevil profession.

In fact, machines may even have to be paid for their services as artificial intelligence (AI) becomes more advanced, the expert claims.