Donald Pettit returned to earth. The oldest astronaut NASA completed the mission
During its mission, which lasted 220 days, the crew on board the international space station (ISS) made an impressive number of 3520 laps around the earth. This is another milestone in Pettit’s career, who spent 590 days in space in space.
After returning to earth: Time to adapt to gravity
However, despite these impressive achievements, Pettit did not break the record of the oldest astronaut in space – this title still belongs to the legendary John Glenn, who in 1998 flew into space at the age of 77. He died in 2016.
Currently, Petit is the oldest active astronaut. After a heroic journey with Russian colleagues, Don Pettit will have to go to the adaptation period to the conditions of earthly gravity. Then the American astronaut will go to the NASA center in Houston, and his Russian comrades will return to the Kosmonauts Training Center in the Typical Gorodok.
Technical problems delayed the return of NASA astronauts
Recently, other NASA astronauts, Butch Wilmore and Suni Williamsthey experienced delay in returning to earth. Their mission at ISS was extended from planned 8 days to over nine months due to technical problems related to the Boeing Starliner ship. Among the challenges that the team had to face was the leak of Hel and engine failures.
In the face of such challenges, the return of Pettit and his crew to Earth reminds us of the extraordinary immunity and skills of people who cross the boundaries of human experience to expand our knowledge of space.
(Sources: PAP, pl.wikipedia.org)
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NASA / Bill Ingalls / Reuters
Don Pettit is transferred to the medical tent shortly after landing in the Soyuz MS-26 space capsule
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NASA / Bill Ingalls / Reuters
The Soyuz MS-26 space capsule, in which the crew of the International Space Station (ISS) was located on April 20 in Kazakhstan.
