NASA’s oldest active astronaut, Don Pettit, is set to return to Earth on a special day—his 70th birthday. Pettit, who is on board the International Space Station (ISS), will land on April 19 after serving on an unprecedented 220-day mission in orbit.
This latest mission is an added gem in Pettit’s illustrious career. This is his fourth space flight after serving in Expedition 6, Expedition 30/31, and the Space Shuttle Endeavour. Don Pettit has spent a total of 590 days in space as this mission is accomplished.
Don Pettit: More than 3,500 Earth Orbits and 93.3 Million Miles Traveled
During the NASA’s mission, Pettit went around Earth more than 3,520 times, traveling almost 93.3 million miles. He interacted with the public by posting stunning images of Earth’s splendor, such as magnificent auroras, lightning storms, and cityscapes, on his X (formerly Twitter) handle.
Formation flying; Starlink satellites tracing parallel lines in the sky.
Thanks to @BabakTafreshi for assembling this clip from timelapse images. pic.twitter.com/9vCKt1lCx5— Don Pettit (@astro_Pettit) April 11, 2025
Among his most engaging posts was a video of Starlink satellites soaring in formation, on which he described photographing “parallel lines in the night sky.” He also posted a hypnotic time-lapse of the International Space Station revolving 180 degrees, presenting an arresting view of the Northern Lights.
Formation flying; Starlink satellites tracing parallel lines in the sky.
Thanks to @BabakTafreshi for assembling this clip from timelapse images. pic.twitter.com/9vCKt1lCx5— Don Pettit (@astro_Pettit) April 11, 2025
Auroras, Antarctica, and the Art of Space Photography
In a separate video, he presented the aurora witnessed when the ISS traversed between Antarctica and Australia. “Aurora seen today from @Space_Station while orbit was passing between Australia and Antarctica,” he mentioned, also naming another space photographer colleague, @astro_jannicke, who is aboard the private FRAM2 mission.
Changes in attitude, changes in latitude: @Space_Station We rotated 180 degrees and flew backwards for yesterday’s Soyuz docking. This is a bit long but keep watching for the surprise in the middle. pic.twitter.com/UDEp8zKDwE
— Don Pettit (@astro_Pettit) April 9, 2025
Pettit thrilled space fans even more by sharing unusual video of lightning-like events called Transient Luminous Events (TLEs). These were Sprites and Blue Jets that happened above thunderstorms over the Amazon Basin. “OK, this is kind of out there and caters to your inner Uber-Geek,” he joked. The real time of the clip was around 6 seconds over the Amazon basin and displayed a variety of TLE displays from Sprites to blue jets from a downward-looking perspective.
Don Pettit Returning to Earth on April 19
Pettit will leave the ISS with Roscosmos cosmonauts Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner. They will ride the Soyuz MS-26 spacecraft from the Rassvet module at 5:57 p.m. EDT. A parachute-assisted landing will be in the Kazakhstani steppe, southeast of Dzhezkazgan, at 9:20 p.m. EDT (6:20 a.m. local time on April 20).
Before heading back to Earth’s atmosphere, Don Pettit marks the close of yet another chapter in his career, demonstrating that age should never stand as a limitation in exploring space.
