Author: Mike Matzinger
While many celebrate their 70th birthday with quiet gatherings among family and friends, NASA’s oldest active astronaut, Eagle Scout Don Pettit, marked his milestone in a far more extraordinary manner: returning to Earth at thousands of miles per hour following a mission in space.
Pettit commemorated his 70th birthday on while aboard a Soyuz capsule, concluding a seven-month assignment aboard the International Space Station (ISS). Accompanied by Russian cosmonauts Alexei Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner, Pettit’s capsule successfully landed near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan, early that morning.
During their mission, Pettit and his crewmates spent 220 days in orbit, completing 3,520 revolutions around Earth and traveling an estimated 93.3 million miles.
This mission represents Pettit’s fourth spaceflight over the course of his 29-year career with NASA, bringing his cumulative time spent in space to more than 18 months.
A veteran explorer, committed scientist, and Eagle Scout, Don Pettit continues to exemplify the spirit of discovery and service. His career stands as a testament to the boundless possibilities of human achievement, demonstrating that even at the age of 70, the pursuit of knowledge and exploration endures without limit.
