newly, The astronaut, Donald (Don), returned. Betit to Earth after a long mission at the International Space Station (ISS)The day before your seventieth birthday. This was his fourth mission in space and made him the oldest active astronaut.
In addition to this last task, he had already worked as a member of the US Space Agency (NASA) in three other missions.
Pettit has performed different jobs, since then Airline engineer And the scientific employee of the ISS tool tool operator. Add all your trips, There are more than 590 days in space.
Who is the astronaut without Betit?
She graduated in chemical engineering from the Organon State University and the doctor from Arizona University, worked as a world for many years before joining Nassa. He even worked to develop techniques related to the space industry.
Before being chosen by the Space Agency, Donald was part of the National Laboratory team in Los Alamos, in New Mexico. His work guarantees experiences with planes and gravity, however He left the laboratory in 1996, when he was officially summoned to be an astronaut.
Despite the summons in the nineties, Donald only participated in his inhabited space mission in 2002When he was operating an automatic arm during space tracks.
one Space walking This happens when the astronaut needs to leave the ship or the international space station for repairs or other activities. Before his last mission, the world had already performed four aspects of space.
His first trip to space lasted for about five and a half monthsWhen he was acted as a scientific officer in campaign 6.
During this task, the Colombia bus accident occurred, prompting NASA to reduce the number of crew members to the International Space Station to two on the following trips. The explosion occurred in re -entering and caused the death of the pioneers of seven.
Flights to Don Bette space:
- Experedit 6: Besides the members of the travel crew, Ken Borezix and Nicolay Bodin, my home held his first mission between November 23, 2002 and May 3, 2003. They were sent to space through the satellite endeavor, but the Colombia accident forced them to return to the Russian Soyus TMA-1;
- STS-126: Between 14 and 30 November 2008, the astronaut conducted his second mission on the space of space, this time for only 16 days, with the aim of helping to expand the ISS housing;
- Expered 30/31: Between December 21, 2011 and July 1, 2012, the engineer was launched to the International Space Station on the Russian Soyuz. In addition to the performance of the daily maintenance work, its mission has been distinguished by operating the automatic arm to capture the first commercial space ship, Spacex Dragon;
- ExpeiedITION 71/72: On his last mission, he was released on Soyuz MS-26 on September 11, 2024 and returned on April 19, 2025, that is, a day before his seventieth birthday. During this period, the astronaut Don Bette worked as an flight engineer and conducted many experiences in the ISS small gravitational environment.
The oldest active astronaut
After your Return From Experedit 71/72, some people suggested that Petit could not be fine because of their appearance of some weakness. A few days later, I seemed to introduce a better active astronaut and even smiled at pictures.
usually, The space crew returns weaker due to the impact of the minor gravityEspecially when they stay for a long time. Given that this task lasted seven months, this weakness is normal.
In an official statement, NASA stated that Pettit does not usually feel good after the space of the space. During an interview with the local Origon newspaper, the astronaut explained that he needed at least 24 hours to feel completely recovering – and this is exactly what he is doing now.
