For most people, a 70th birthday might mean cake and a quiet celebration — but for NASA’s Don Pettit, it meant re-entering Earth’s atmosphere at thousands of kilometers per hour.
On April 20, 2025, Pettit returned from his fourth space mission aboard the International Space Station (ISS), marking his 70th birthday while landing in the steppes of Kazakhstan. Accompanied by Roscosmos cosmonauts Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner, the trio landed aboard the Soyuz MS-26 capsule near Zhezkazgan after a seven-month stay in orbit.
Pettit, who has now spent over 550 days in space across his career, orbited Earth 3,520 times during this mission, covering more than 93 million miles. The spaceflight veteran is now NASA’s oldest active astronaut to have flown a mission, capping off a remarkable 29-year tenure with the agency.
The Soyuz capsule touched down at 6:20 am local time, and recovery teams were quick to assist the astronauts out of the spacecraft. Despite showing signs of fatigue, Pettit gave a thumbs-up and was deemed in good condition by NASA medical personnel.
Post-landing, the crew was transported to Karaganda before Pettit boarded a NASA aircraft en route to the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.
Throughout their mission, the crew conducted critical scientific research focused on water purification, plant biology, and fire behavior in microgravity—experiments aimed at improving future space missions and life on Earth.
This mission closely follows the extended nine-month stay of NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, whose return was delayed due to technical issues with their spacecraft.
Don Pettit’s milestone return isn’t just a celebration of age, but a testament to human endurance, exploration, and the relentless pursuit of science—well into the golden years.
