NASA Astronaut Don Pettit Returns to Earth on 70th Birthday After ISS Mission

Who is Don Pettit? NASA’s 70-year-old ‘Space Grandpa’ who just came home after 220 days in orbit

NASA’s oldest active astronaut, Don Pettit, has returned safely to Earth after a seven-month mission aboard the ISS, landing in Kazakhstan on his 70th birthday. With this fourth spaceflight, Pettit’s total time in space now exceeds 590 days—the most by any American male astronaut.

NASA's oldest astronaut Don Pettit braves dangerous cosmic journey on 70th birthday

The astronauts touched down in a remote region south-east of Zhezkazgan in Kazakhstan after undocking from the space station around three hours earlier. Trending | SCIENCE & TECH

NASA's oldest astronaut has left space. After seven months working at the International Space Station, American Don Pettit was welcomed back to Earth - on his 70th birthday.

Oldest US Astronaut Lands On Earth As He Turns 70

Don Pettit just marked his 70th birthday with a bang—by crash-landing (safely) back on Earth after 220 days in orbit. That’s one way to light the candles.Alongside Russian crewmates Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner, Pettit touched down in the vast Kazakh steppe. They arrived early Sunday morning aboard a Soyuz capsule, parachutes and all. Their ride? A casual 3,520 laps around Earth aboard the International Space Station.This was Pettit’s fourth …

Oldest serving US astronaut parachutes back to Earth on his 70th birthday

Don Pettit gives the thumbs up as he is carried to a medical tent shortly after landing (Picture: AP) An astronaut marked his seventieth birthday by strapping into a spacecraft and zooming back to Earth at over 800kph. Don Pettit began his eighth decade in space on the International Space Station, where he spent 220 days for his most recent stint. He spent the rest of his birthday travelling back in a Soyuz MS-26 capsule, alongside two Russian c…

On the very day of his 70th birthday, American astronaut Donald Pettit returned to Earth on Sunday with the two Russian cosmonauts Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner, after seven months spent in the International Space Station (ISS), announced the Nasa. ...