Celebrating a Milestone: Oldest U.S. Astronaut Returns on His 70th Birthday

On Sunday, NASA astronaut Don Pettit made headlines as he returned to Earth at the age of 70, showcasing both his enduring spirit and contributions to space exploration. The Soyuz MS-26 capsule, which also carried Russian cosmonauts Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner, successfully landed in Kazakhstan's steppe at 06:20 local time (01:20 GMT). During their 220 days aboard the International Space Station (ISS), the crew orbited Earth an impressive 3,520 times, with Pettit achieving a career total of 590 days in space.

While Pettit holds the record as the oldest active astronaut, he is not the oldest person to have flown in orbit; that title goes to John Glenn, who completed a mission at age 77 back in 1998. Following their landing, the astronauts will need time to readjust to Earth's gravity before Pettit heads to Houston, whereas his Russian colleagues return to their training base in Star City, near Moscow.

Earlier in the month, two NASA astronauts, Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, also concluded their long-duration mission aboard the ISS, facing extended time in space due to technical issues with their return spacecraft. As the space community celebrates these milestones, attention remains focused on the ongoing advancements and future missions in space exploration.

Kazakhstan NASA Russia International Space Station Space exploration United States