Importance Score: 72 / 100 🔴
Veteran
NASA astronaut Don Pettit waves upon arrival in Houston on April 20, 2025. Pettit concluded a seven-month mission on the International Space Station, returning to Earth on April 19. | Credit: NASA
Astronaut Don Pettit Returns to Houston on 70th Birthday
Pettit’s arrival in Houston, also known as “Space City,” coincided with his 70th birthday on Sunday, April 20th. He landed a day prior with Russian cosmonauts Aleksey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner in Kazakhstan. Their
Initial Post-Landing Condition
Following the landing, a NASA broadcast showed Pettit appearing somewhat unwell as recovery personnel assisted him from the Soyuz spacecraft. However, NASA representatives assured that this was within expected parameters after spaceflight.
According to a NASA update posted on X (formerly Twitter) late Saturday, Pettit “is doing well and in the range of what is expected for him following return to Earth.”
Astronaut Pettit’s Re-adaptation to Gravity
The agency’s social media post also highlighted Pettit’s typical experience with landings. Quoting an interview from April 16 with an Oregon TV station from the ISS, Pettit stated, “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.”
Successful Return and Well-being
Time seems to have been beneficial for Pettit, as NASA’s X post documenting his Houston homecoming featured a photograph of the