Dan Pettit, America’s oldest active astronaut, has returned to Earth on his 70th birthday after completing his fourth mission aboard the International Space Station (ISS).
Veteran U.S. astronaut Dan Pettit safely landed in Kazakhstan early Sunday morning, marking the end of a 220-day mission aboard the ISS. Pettit, accompanied by Russian crewmates Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner, touched down in the Soyuz MS-26 capsule at 06:20 local time (01:20 GMT), assisted by parachutes in the open Kazakh steppe.
According to NASA, the trio orbited Earth 3,520 times during their mission. For Pettit, this latest journey brings his cumulative time in space to an impressive 590 days, reinforcing his status as one of NASA’s most seasoned astronauts. Born in Oregon on April 20, 1955, Pettit reached this milestone on his 70th birthday.
Despite his achievement, Pettit is not the oldest person to have flown in space. That distinction remains with John Glenn, who returned to orbit in 1998 at the age of 77. Glenn, a legendary figure in American spaceflight history, passed away in 2016.
Following their return, Pettit and his crewmates will undergo a period of physical readjustment as they reacclimate to Earth’s gravity. Pettit will then travel to NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, while Ovchinin and Vagner will return to Russia’s Star City space training center near Moscow.
Before their departure, the crew officially handed over command of the ISS to Japanese astronaut Takuya Onishi.
This return follows another recent extended stay aboard the space station. Last month, NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams finally came back to Earth after spending more than nine months in space—far beyond their initially planned eight-day mission. The delay stemmed from technical problems with the spacecraft that brought them to the ISS in June 2024, forcing them to wait until March 18 of this year to return.
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Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief: here are the top news stories for May 14th , covering the latest developments you need to know.
President Donald Trump announced the removal of long-standing U.S. sanctions on Syria and secured a $600 billion investment commitment from Saudi Arabia during his visit to the Gulf, signaling a major shift in U.S. foreign policy.
A powerful sandstorm struck Erbil, the northern Iraqi city, on Tuesday, May 13, severely disrupting daily life and significantly reducing visibility across the area.
Newly elected pontiff Pope Leo XIV has officially joined platforms like X and Instagram, with the Vatican confirming the activation of his social media accounts.
A 5.9 magnitude earthquake has struck off the coast of Jalisco, Mexico.
President Donald Trump announced the removal of long-standing U.S. sanctions on Syria and secured a $600 billion investment commitment from Saudi Arabia during his visit to the Gulf, signaling a major shift in U.S. foreign policy.
Azerbaijan’s Space Agency delegation, Azercosmos, is attending SATExpo Middle East 2025 in Dubai, a leading event focused on satellite technology and the expanding space economy.
A powerful sandstorm struck Erbil, the northern Iraqi city, on Tuesday, May 13, severely disrupting daily life and significantly reducing visibility across the area.
Newly elected pontiff Pope Leo XIV has officially joined platforms like X and Instagram, with the Vatican confirming the activation of his social media accounts.
During a phone call Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni discussed opportunities for peace in the Ukraine-Russia war, as well as bilateral relations and regional developments during a phone call.
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