Dan Pettit, the United States’ oldest ever-serving astronaut, took his final mission to a historic return to Earth on April 20, 2025. He marked this achievement on his 70th birthday. Born in Oregon on April 20, 1955, Pettit has spent the past several decades in the pursuit of scientific discovery in space.
Pettit just came back from his fourth trip to space. This amazing space odyssey brings his astounding cumulative total to 590 days living and working outside of our planet’s atmosphere. His exceptional career has solidified his legacy as one of the great leaders in space exploration. It has sparked the imaginations of millions more, inspiring them to tackle science and technology challenges of the future.
Today’s successful landing comes after an exciting and productive mission aboard the International Space Station (ISS). While aboard, Pettit was a part of over 180 science experiments. He performed key studies and partnered with international crewed astronauts to advance our knowledge of living and working in microgravity. His contributions were critical to expanding understanding that would improve future missions to space and their terrestrial impacts.
Following his return to Earth on March 30, Pettit — like shuttle crews before him — will travel first to Houston, Texas. There, he will be subjected to a gauntlet of debriefings and medical monitoring. For the astronaut, the return journey home is the crux of the experience. He is a testament to unyielding resilience and dedication to the community of space.
For 70 years, throughout his career, Pettit has continued to show a strong commitment to exploration and discovery. As he continues into this next chapter of his life, he thinks back on some of the amazing times and strides in space travel. We have such exciting opportunities in store for the next generation of astronauts!