'Ripping Through Atmosphere': NASA’s Oldest Astronaut, Don Pettit, Marks 70th Birthday with Thrilling Splashdown | WATCH

NASA astronaut Don Pettit returned to Earth on his 70th birthday, making history as one of the oldest active-duty astronauts from the United States.

Pettit landed safely in Kazakhstan on Saturday around 9:20 pm local time, after completing his mission aboard the International Space Station (ISS). He travelled back in the Soyuz MS-26 spacecraft, along with Russian cosmonauts Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner.

According to NASA and reports from CBS and BBC, Pettit’s return makes him the oldest serving American astronaut to go on an official mission. However, the record for the oldest person to fly in orbit still belongs to John Glenn, who flew at the age of 77 in 1998.

590 Days in Space

This was Pettit’s fourth space mission. Over his career, he has spent a total of 590 days in space and orbited the Earth more than 3,500 times. During this latest mission, he was part of Expeditions 71 and 72 and served as a flight engineer.

While aboard the ISS, Pettit worked on several important scientific experiments. He studied the use of metal 3D printing in space, improvements in water purification, plant growth under different water levels, and how fire behaves in zero gravity.

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Feeling Human Again Takes Time

After landing, NASA officials at the site confirmed that Pettit is doing well and responding as expected after re-entry. 

In a pre-departure interview on April 16, Pettit spoke about how the return affects him physically.

“This is a physiological thing. It affects different people in different ways,” he said. “Some people can go out and eat pizza and dance. When I land, it takes me about 24 hours to feel like I'm a human being again.”