Don Pettit

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.