Donald Pettit is an American astronaut and chemical engineer known for his orbital astrophotography and in space inventions, including the Space Cup, which received the first patent ever granted for an object invented in space. He has flown three long duration missions aboard the International Space Station, one Space Shuttle mission, and a six week expedition searching for meteorites in Antarctica, accumulating 590 days in space. As of 2026, at age 71, he is the oldest active NASA astronaut and the third oldest person to reach orbit, behind John Glenn and Larry Connor.
Facts
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Astronaut Role Dating
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Source Donald Pettit - Wikipedia
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Source Wikidata: Don Pettit
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1. Donald Pettit - Wikipedia
Infobox, birth_date
1955-04-20
Introduction
an American astronaut and chemical engineer
- Infobox, selection
Article text
Pettit was a mission specialist on the STS-126
Operated By: NASA, Lead paragraph, operated-by
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.
Associated With: NASA, Lead paragraph, associated-with
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.
In Group: Space Shuttle Astronauts, Lead sentence
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.
View the SourceWikidata: Don Pettit
Wikidata Q363250, class allow-list match (w-wdresolver-0926)View the Source Reader Challenges (0)
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