NASA Astronaut Returns to Earth on 70th Birthday After Record Mission

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NASA Astronaut Returns to Earth on 70th Birthday After Record Mission

7 months ago

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NASA Astronaut Returns to Earth on 70th Birthday After Record Mission

Credited from: SCMP

NASA astronaut Don Pettit returns on his 70th birthday after 220 days in space.
The Soyuz MS-26 capsule landed in Kazakhstan, marking a successful mission completion.
Pettit logged 590 days in space over four missions, focusing on various scientific research.

A Soyuz MS-26 spacecraft carrying NASA astronaut Don Pettit and Russian cosmonauts Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner successfully landed on April 20, 2025, in Kazakhstan, coinciding with Pettit's 70th birthday. The crew completed an extensive mission of 220 days aboard the International Space Station (ISS), where they orbited Earth 3,520 times, covering a distance of approximately 93.3 million miles, according to BBC.

The landing took place at 6:20 a.m. local time near Zhezkazgan, with NASA confirming the descent was smooth and without complications. Following their return, the astronauts were immediately subjected to routine medical checks before heading to a recovery area in Karaganda, Kazakhstan, as noted by Al Jazeera.

Pettit's mission marks his fourth journey into space, where he focused on significant research areas including water sanitization technology, plant growth, and fire behavior in microgravity. NASA's statement highlighted that Pettit has now accumulated over 590 days in orbit throughout his 29-year career. This highlights an ongoing collaboration between Russian and American space agencies despite geopolitical tensions, as detailed by Los Angeles Times.

South China Morning Post.