Don Pettit, the oldest active NASA astronaut, completed its mission on the International Space Station and returned to Earth 20 April, on his 70th birthday. His Soyuz MS-26 capsule successfully landed on 01:20 UTC in the steppes of Kazakhstan after seven months of orbit.
Together with Pettit, Russian astronauts Alexei Ovchinin returned to the ground (53 years) and Ivan Wagner (39 years). The flight continued 220 days, during which the ship overcame more than 150 millions of kilometers, having carried out 3520 revolutions around the Earth.
Scientific work and technical support.
While on board the Pettit:
- helped with hundreds of experiments,
- used a self-designed one a cup for drinking in weightlessness,
- researched ice and optical effects under polarized light,
- coordinated departure and arrival of Crew-9 and Crew-10 crews,
- and participated in cargo operations with the ship Cygnus.
Ovchynin and Wagner, in addition to participating in experiments, conducted a spacewalk lasting more than 7 hours, during which an X-ray spectrometer was installed on the "Zvezda" module.
Statistics and records:
- For Pettit and Ovchinin, it was fourth flight, for Wagner - second.
- Total "space time" after return:
- Don Pettit — 590 days,
- Oleksiy Ovchynin — 595 days,
- Ivan Wagner — 416 days.
What's next?
After landing, the crew was met by Russian rescue teams and NASA medics. The astronauts were transported to Karaganda, from where Pettit went to Houston, and his colleagues to the training base in Space Town.