Astronaut Don Pettit set for 4th space mission this September
NASA's oldest active astronaut, Don Pettit, is preparing for his fourth journey to space. At 69 years old, he will be part of the Soyuz MS-26 mission to the International Space Station (ISS) in September. Russian cosmonauts Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner will accompany him on this six-month mission led by Roscosmos, with a launch date set for September 11.
Pettit's previous space missions
Pettit has already spent an impressive 370 days in orbit, with his previous missions including Expedition 6 in 2003, STS-126 in 2008, and Expedition 30/31 in 2012. His first mission was unexpectedly extended due to the Columbia space shuttle disaster. Despite challenges during his return journey on the Russian Soyuz TMA-1 spacecraft, Pettit safely returned home after a two-year grounding of NASA's shuttle fleet.
Pettit's contributions
Selected by NASA in 1993, Pettit has made significant contributions during his time in space. He has completed two spacewalks totaling 13 hours and 17 minutes. Notably, he installed an ISS system that converts urine into drinkable water, reducing the need for water shipments from Earth. Pettit also became the first astronaut to capture SpaceX's cargo Dragon spacecraft using the Canadarm2 robotic arm.
Pettit's unique experiences and inventions in space
In addition to his space missions, Pettit has patented a zero-G coffee cup and witnessed a solar eclipse from space. He snapped the historic transit of Venus across the Sun in 2012 from the ISS, and took stunning timelapse photography out the window. Despite being NASA's oldest active astronaut, other ones in their 60s have also flown to space, including retired NASA astronauts Peggy Whitson and Michael Lopez-Alegria.
