Pettit returns to Earth after orbiting the planet 3,520 times
NASA astronaut Don Pettit has returned safely to Earth on his 70th birthday, becoming the oldest active-duty U.S. astronaut in orbit. Pettit landed in Kazakhstan on Saturday at approximately 9:20 p.m. local time aboard the Soyuz MS-26 spacecraft.
He was accompanied by Roscosmos cosmonauts Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner following his mission aboard the International Space Station (ISS), where he served as a flight engineer for Expeditions 71 and 72.
Pettit has now logged 590 days in orbit across four spaceflights and orbited Earth 3,520 times. During his latest mission, he conducted research on metal 3D printing in space, advanced water sanitation, plant growth under variable conditions, and fire behavior in microgravity.
According to CBS and BBC, Pettit is now the U.S.’s oldest active-duty astronaut. The record for oldest person in orbit remains with John Glenn, who flew at age 77 in 1998.
NASA officials stated Pettit is “doing well and in the range of what is expected” post-landing.