NASA's oldest full-time astronaut, Don Pettit, expressed on Monday that experiencing weightlessness had made him feel decades younger, with the usual aches and pains he lived with seemingly vanishing. He had just marked his 70th birthday on April 20 by returning to Earth in a Russian Soyuz capsule after completing a seven-month mission at the International Space Station. In his first public comments following his return, Pettit admitted to having been overwhelmed upon landing, feeling the effects of gravity for the first time in 220 days. He described the return to Earth as a "significant challenge" for his body, mentioning that he didn't look or feel well immediately after touchdown. The familiar "creaks and groans" of his body returned, contrasting sharply with his experience in space.
Pettit noted that in weightlessness, he felt as if the years had melted away, saying it made him feel 30 years old again. He reflected on how, during his time in space, the usual discomforts seemed to heal as he slept and floated, allowing him to feel rejuvenated.
Past journeys by elderly astronauts
Although John Glenn had been 77 during his return to space in 1998, he had stepped away from NASA for many years and was nearing the end of his Senate career. Additionally, a couple of 90-year-olds had flown to space but those missions were brief journeys with Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin company.
During his mission, Pettit, who still felt "like a little kid inside," focused on astrophotography, capturing stunning images of auroras, comets, and satellites. He also engaged in various physics experiments during his downtime, experimenting with bubbles and even creating a perfect ball of honey atop a spoon of peanut butter to share the experience with others.
Pettit conveyed his belief that he still had a few good years ahead and expressed interest in possibly undertaking another flight or two before he decided to retire his "rocket nozzles".
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Inputs from PTI