Oldest US Astronaut Celebrates 70th Birthday with Return to Earth

Don Pettit, America’s oldest serving astronaut, has marked his milestone 70th birthday with a triumphant return to Earth. The Soyuz MS-26 space capsule landed in Kazakhstan’s steppe on Sunday, following a substantial 220 days spent onboard the International Space Station (ISS). This journey saw Pettit and his Russian crewmates, Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner, orbit the Earth approximately 3,520 times. With a total of 590 days spent across four missions in space, Pettit's contributions to space exploration—while exceptional—do not make him the oldest person in orbit; that title belongs to John Glenn, who flew at age 77 in 1998. After recovering from the rigors of weightlessness, Pettit will head to Houston, while his Russian counterparts will return home to Russia. The crew’s remarkable mission culminated with the transfer of command of the ISS to Japanese astronaut, Takuya Onishi, before their departure.

The return of Pettit marks not only a personal achievement but also highlights the continued commitment to human exploration of space. He joins a legacy of astronauts paving the way for future generations interested in the vastness beyond our planet.