On the momentous occasion of his 70th birthday, NASA’s oldest astronaut, Dan Pettit, has successfully returned to Earth. The Soyuz MS-26 spacecraft, carrying Pettit alongside his Russian colleagues Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner, made a parachute-assisted landing in the vast steppes of Kazakhstan at 06:20 local time (01:20 GMT) on Sunday morning.
Oldest Serving US Astronaut Celebrates 70th Birthday with Earth Return
Oldest Serving US Astronaut Celebrates 70th Birthday with Earth Return
Dan Pettit lands on his milestone birthday after a historic space mission aboard the ISS.
The crew completed a remarkable 220 days aboard the International Space Station (ISS), during which they circled the Earth 3,520 times. This marks Pettit’s fourth journey into space, bringing his total time spent beyond Earth’s atmosphere to 590 days. Although Pettit holds the title of the oldest serving US astronaut, he is not the oldest person ever to travel to space; that distinction belongs to John Glenn, who flew at the age of 77 in 1998.
Following their return, Pettit and his fellow astronauts will take time to readjust to Earth’s gravity. Pettit, born in Oregon on April 20, 1955, will be transported to Houston, Texas, while Ovchinin and Vagner will make their way to Russia’s renowned space training facility in Zvyozdniy Gorodok, near Moscow. Prior to their departure from the ISS, the crew handed command over to Japanese astronaut Takuya Onishi.
Last month, NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams finally made their return from the ISS after an unexpected extension of their mission that lasted over nine months, due to technical complications with their spacecraft. They had originally planned to conduct their mission for a mere eight days.
Kazakhstan, Nasa, Russia, International Space Station, Space exploration, United States
Following their return, Pettit and his fellow astronauts will take time to readjust to Earth’s gravity. Pettit, born in Oregon on April 20, 1955, will be transported to Houston, Texas, while Ovchinin and Vagner will make their way to Russia’s renowned space training facility in Zvyozdniy Gorodok, near Moscow. Prior to their departure from the ISS, the crew handed command over to Japanese astronaut Takuya Onishi.
Last month, NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams finally made their return from the ISS after an unexpected extension of their mission that lasted over nine months, due to technical complications with their spacecraft. They had originally planned to conduct their mission for a mere eight days.
Kazakhstan, Nasa, Russia, International Space Station, Space exploration, United States
