While most people get on with quiet introspection on milestone birthdays, NASA's oldest remaining astronaut on active duty, Don Pettit, celebrated his 70th by flying back to Earth after seven months in space on the International Space Station. Pettit managed to safely land with Russian co-crew members Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner, respectively, on his 70th birthday, April 20, near Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan.
The Soyuz MS-26 spacecraft undocked from the space station a little over three hours earlier and descended under a parachute with the morning sun rising over the Kazakh steppe. Astronauts orbited the Earth 3520 times and accrued more than 93 million miles during their stay in orbit, researching topics as diverse as the behavior of fires in a microgravity environment, plant growth, and water purification techniques.
This was his fourth spaceflight, and he has spent almost the same amount of time in space as with other missions, with over 18 months spent in orbit during his nearly 30-year career with the agency. NASA's post-landing medical checks indicated that Pettit was doing very well, although the long trip takes a toll on the human body, as he was soon on his way from Kazakhstan to Houston and the Johnson Space Center.
The Video of the three astronauts being helped by the recovery teams out of the capsule and into the adjacent medical tent showed Pettit and his companions giving a thumbs-up.
NASA shared a video on X (formerly known as Twitter) to honor Pettit on his 70th birthday and highlight his long and trailblazing career.
The agency wrote, "Happy birthday, Pettit. Many happy returns (including this one). The MS-26 Soyuz spacecraft touched down in Kazakhstan at 9:20 pm ET—or, in local time, 6:20 am April 20, Pettit's 70th birthday.”
The end of the successful scientific mission is marked by their return, though it was somewhat shorter than the almost 9-month duration of Wilmore's and Williams's stay. The two remained at the ISS due to technical issues with their Boeing Starliner spacecraft, which delayed their return. In contrast, the schedule for the 220-day assignment for Pettit with his crew was preserved. Both missions have provided invaluable insight into ISS research.
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