Donald Pettit
American astronaut · United States · Scientists · Born 1955 · age 71
Donald Pettit is read about 73 times a day, in 29 languages.
A typical day, 30 days to 21 October 2026
The middle day of the days counted, so one week of news cannot move it. The line under it is the last 396 days, one point a day.
Something wrong?Donald Roy Pettit is an American astronaut and chemical engineer best known for his orbital astrophotography and in-space inventions such as the Space Cup, which received the first ever patent for an object invented in space.
A life in dates
Photos 6
"Lightning Bugs', a star trail image taken by Pettit in 2012 that went viral
Pettit pictured during an EVA on Expedition 6
Pettit demonstrates microgravity using characters from 'Angry Birds'.
NASA Associate Administrator Ken Bowersox (left) and NASA ISS Program Deputy Manager Dina Contella (right) walk Pettit to Soyuz MS-26. Bowersox was also Pettit's commander on Expedition 6.
Astronaut Pettit operates the barn door tracker he constructed for ISS-based photography of the Earth's surface.On YouTube
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About this person
Donald Roy Pettit is an American astronaut and chemical engineer best known for his orbital astrophotography and in-space inventions such as the Space Cup, which received the first ever patent for an object invented in space. He is a veteran of three long-duration missions aboard the International Space Station, one Space Shuttle mission, and a six-week expedition to find meteorites in Antarctica. As of 2026, at age 71, he is NASA's oldest active astronaut and the third oldest person to reach orbit, behind John Glenn and Larry Connor. He has accumulated 590 days in space.
Scientists from the United States 6
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