NASA's oldest astronaut, 70, returns to Earth after 220 days in space as statement issued about his health
A senior citizen has returned from his seven-month mission in space, marking his 70th birthday in the best style.
Don Pettit is NASA's oldest serving astronaut, and touched back down on Earth to mark the beginning of his seventh decade alive, alongside two Russian cosmonauts in a remote area in Kazakhstan.
Talk about great birthday gifts; returning to your home planet to experience gravity once again after 220 days in space has got to be up there.
His time up there rivals that of Wilmore and Williams, who were stranded aboard the International Space Station for nine months, after their spacecraft faced technical difficulties and was sent back, unmanned, extending their week-long mission indefinitely.
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However, while their health was of concern to some professionals, many are concerned with Pettit's state, appearing pale when being carried to a medical tent from the spacecraft.
NASA took to X after the spacecraft touched down, writing: "Home sweet Houston. @NASA_Astronauts Don Pettit has officially returned home from the @Space_Station after completing his fourth spaceflight, totalling 590 days in space. A picture perfect mission."
Alongside his crewmates, the American space explorer orbited the Earth 3,520 times, totalling 93.3 million miles in the process.
Upon his momentous return, attention turned to his wellbeing, appearing frail and weak compared to when he left Earth.
Experts took to social media, as astronomer Jonathan McDowel claimed that he looked 'less than fully well', adding that it's 'hopefully nothing serious', hoping for an update on his condition.
While on the ISS, NASA revealed that the astronauts and cosmonauts carried out research into water sanitisation technology, plant growth in certain conditions and fire behaviour in microgravity.
It took just three hours for the spacecraft to reach the surface after undocking, with images showing the capsule parachuting down to Earth, with the explorers happily giving the thumbs up to those waiting.
The Oregon-born Pettit has spent over 18 months in orbit altogether, completing his fourth spaceflight, making him one of the oldest to have ever flown in orbit.
John Glenn, who passed away in 2016, still holds this record, as he flew on a NASA mission aged 77 back in 1998.
Despite the concern from experts and social media users, NASA reiterated that the 70-year-old is healthy and doing well, explaining on X: "According to NASA officials at the landing site, is doing well and in the range of what is expected for him following return to Earth."
Space fans shouldn't be too worried though, as the space agency added: "What's expected for him? In his own words during an April 16 pre-departure interview, 'This is a physiological thing. It affects different people different ways. Some people can go out and eat pizza and dance.
"'When I land, it takes me about 24 hours to feel like I'm a human being again.'"
He was set to fly to the Kazakh city of Karaganda after landing, before getting onboard a NASA plane to their Johnson Space Center in Texas.
Joshua Nair