Photo credit: arstechnica.com
Few individuals commemorate their birthdays by plunging through the atmosphere while experiencing 4.4g of freefall, landing with force on the Kazakh steppes, and subsequently feeling the urge to vomit. This unique experience is even more remarkable because no one has completed such a feat on their 70th birthday.
This unusual celebration is fitting for NASA astronaut Don Pettit, whose birthday falls on April 20. When the Soyuz spacecraft that carried him touched down in Kazakhstan at dawn, the date marked his special day. Notably, while John Glenn at 77 was older when he ventured into space, Pettit has the distinction of having spent the longest time in orbit at that age—220 days on a single mission.
Shortly after returning to Earth, Pettit addressed reporters at Johnson Space Center, expressing his mixed feelings. “It’s good to be back on planet Earth,” he stated. “As much as I love exploring space, you reach a point where it’s time to come home.”
Age is Just a Number in Space
Pettit first ventured into space at the age of 47, embarking on his inaugural long-duration mission to the International Space Station (ISS). Over the years, he has participated in a shorter shuttle mission along with two additional ISS increments, accumulating a total of 590 days in space—making him the third most experienced NASA astronaut in terms of time spent in orbit.
“I experience a few creaks and groans in my body, but overall, I feel much like I did two decades ago. Coming back to gravity is quite an adjustment,” he remarked.
Throughout his missions, Pettit found readjustment to Earth’s gravity challenging. Interestingly, he explained that it’s often the smaller, less prominent muscles that become sore, rather than the larger muscle groups one might expect.
Source
arstechnica.com