Soyuz-2.1a - Soyuz MS-26 - 11 September 2024 (16:23 UTC)

[John_Marshall]

One of the Russians waved the cameraman away.  Later I heard a translation “He’s out of here”, meaning ‘out of it’.

I missed that. Yikes.

[Targeteer]

Navias briefly mentioned Don was in the medical tent.  More great transparency from NASA PAO.  Not. 

[hartspace]

I would assume that there is a NASA person on-site.  It would be nice if they would let Rob know how Don is doing so that he can tell us.

[John_Marshall]

Navias briefly mentioned Don was in the medical tent.  More great transparency from NASA PAO.  Not.

If Pettit is feeling what he talked about feeling after previous reentries (rediscovering his stomach, or something like that), coverage of him is probably the last thing he needs.

[bsegal]

Anybody have flight tracking info for the flight home to Houston?

[John_Marshall]

One of the Russians waved the cameraman away.  Later I heard a translation “He’s out of here”, meaning ‘out of it’.

I heard that when I went back and listened again. Is that an idiom in Russian--more than just for being carried to the medical tent, then? I don't know Russian.

[Yellowstone10]

Anybody have flight tracking info for the flight home to Houston?

The NASA Gulfstream V, N95NA, arrived in Karaganda on the 17th. FlightRadar24 has it departing Karaganda for Prestwick, Scotland at around 11:30 am local time (so, about 4 hours 15 minutes from now).

https://www.flightradar24.com/data/aircraft/n95na

[Targeteer]

https://x.com/RussianSpaceWeb/status/1913772758355313123

Anatoly Zak
@RussianSpaceWeb
The Russian-language audio from the Soyuz MS-26 landing site can be heard instructing cameraman avoid showing the US astronaut Don Pettit... ..The commentary indicates that Pettit was in a bad shape after extraction from the capsule...

[Targeteer]

If Don had to go to a hospital, like the still unnamed Crew Dragon member, where would he go?

[Targeteer]

https://twitter.com/planet4589/status/1913781575239544922. Jonathan McDowell @planet4589
Ovichinin, Vagner and Pettit back on Earth after the landing of Soyuz MS-26.  The awesome Don Pettit, who turned 70 today, appeared less than fully well on extraction from the capsule - hopefully nothing serious, but I'm looking forward to any update on his condition.

[Yellowstone10]

Navias briefly mentioned Don was in the medical tent.  More great transparency from NASA PAO.  Not.

If Pettit is feeling what he talked about feeling after previous reentries (rediscovering his stomach, or something like that), coverage of him is probably the last thing he needs.

I looked up the coverage of his last return, on Soyuz TMA-03M - turns out the cameraman avoided him that time, too.

[hartspace]

A couple of stills from his extraction.  The first shows him opening his visor.  The second shows him being carried to his chair.

[John_Marshall]

I looked up the coverage of his last return, on Soyuz TMA-03M - turns out the cameraman avoided him that time, too.

Oh, interesting. That would make sense, given his previous comments.

A couple of stills from his extraction.  The first shows him opening his visor.  The second shows him being carried to his chair.

In between those two, his eyes are closed, his head is back, and he isn't moving that much.

[jcm]

I looked up the coverage of his last return, on Soyuz TMA-03M - turns out the cameraman avoided him that time, too.

Oh, interesting. That would make sense, given his previous comments.

A couple of stills from his extraction.  The first shows him opening his visor.  The second shows him being carried to his chair.

In between those two, his eyes are closed, his head is back, and he isn't moving that much.

To be fair, that's pretty much what I look like these days when I get home from an average day at the office.

[Holger Isenberg]

The awesome Don Pettit, who turned 70 today, appeared less than fully well on extraction from the capsule

Can someone please check if anyone is awake at NASA (67)? I'm concerned they are in worse condition than Don Pettit (70) who at least could open his visor himself.

[Targeteer]

https://twitter.com/AstroAnnimal/status/1913718094679208223

COL Anne McClain
@AstroAnnimal
The end of an era.

A little while ago, we closed the hatch after saying goodbye to our @Space_Station
 crewmates, the Soyuz 72S crew of Alexey Ovchinin, Ivan Vagner, and @astro_pettit
. Just minutes ago, they detached from station and departed on their orbital journey back to Earth.

Earlier, as I floated through the US Lab segment, I passed by our camera wall and noticed this: a camera stowed back on the wall with the initials “DP.” Don Pettit. Most of you are quite familiar with his mastery of the camera, the multiple settings and lenses he used over the past months to bring you all the incredible views of our shared home planet. But now his camera is back on the wall, like a cowboy hanging up his spurs. A quiet reminder that his mission is done, his last photo from space was taken (for this mission).

The auroras will dance, the stars will shine, and the moon will rise without him, but man … it just won’t be the same.

[John_Marshall]

Very vague but good to hear. (Not sure how to embed the link right.) https://twitter.com/NASA/status/1913791020375867696

Happy birthday, @astro_Pettit! Many happy returns (including this one) 🥳

The MS-26 Soyuz spacecraft touched down in Kazakhstan at 9:20pm ET—or, in local time, 6:20am April 20, Pettit's 70th birthday.

According to NASA officials at the landing site,
@Astro_Pettit
 is doing well and in the range of what is expected for him following return to Earth.

What's expected for him? In his own words during an April 16 pre-departure interview, "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."

[Holger Isenberg]

Some nice fudge words but still good to hear. https://x.com/NASA/status/1913791020375867696

NASA @NASA
According to NASA officials at the landing site,  @Astro_Pettit  is doing well and in the range of what is expected for him following return to Earth.

What's expected for him? In his own words during an April 16 pre-departure interview, "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."
8:05 PM PDT · Apr 19, 2025

source: https://x.com/NASA/status/1913791020375867696

[John_Marshall]

Some nice fudge words but still good to hear. https://x.com/NASA/status/1913791020375867696

Thanks!

[ddspaceman]

NASA Astronaut Don Pettit, Crewmates Complete Space Station Expedition

Jessica Taveau
Apr 19, 2025

NASA astronaut Don Pettit returned to Earth Saturday, accompanied by Roscosmos cosmonauts Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner, concluding a seven-month science mission aboard the International Space Station.

The trio departed the space station at 5:57 p.m. EDT aboard the Soyuz MS-26 spacecraft before making a safe, parachute-assisted landing at 9:20 p.m. (6:20 a.m. on Sunday, April 20, Kazakhstan time), southeast of Dzhezkazgan, Kazakhstan. Pettit also celebrates his 70th birthday on Sunday, April 20.

Spanning 220 days in space, Pettit and his crewmates orbited the Earth 3,520 times, completing a journey of 93.3 million miles. Pettit, Ovchinin, and Vagner launched and docked to the orbiting laboratory on Sept. 11, 2024.

During his time aboard the space station, Pettit conducted research to enhance in-orbit metal 3D printing capabilities, advance water sanitization technologies, explore plant growth under varying water conditions, and investigate fire behavior in microgravity, all contributing to future space missions. He also used his surroundings aboard station to conduct unique experiments in his spare time and captivate the public with his photography.

This was Pettit’s fourth spaceflight, where he served as a flight engineer for Expeditions 71 and 72. He has logged 590 days in orbit throughout his career. Ovchinin completed his fourth flight, totaling 595 days, and Vagner has earned an overall total of 416 days in space during two spaceflights.

NASA is following its routine postlanding medical checks, the crew will return to the recovery staging area in Karaganda, Kazakhstan. Pettit will then board a NASA plane bound for the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. According to NASA officials at the landing site, Pettit is doing well and in the range of what is expected for him following return to Earth.

For more than two decades, people have lived and worked continuously aboard the International Space Station, advancing scientific knowledge and making research breakthroughs that are not possible on Earth. The station is a critical testbed for NASA to understand and overcome the challenges of long-duration spaceflight and to expand commercial opportunities in low Earth orbit. As commercial companies focus on providing human space transportation services and destinations as part of a strong low Earth orbit economy, NASA is focusing more resources on deep space missions to the Moon as part of Artemis in preparation for future astronaut missions to Mars.

https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-astronaut-don-pettit-crewmates-complete-space-station-expedition/


The Soyuz MS-26 spacecraft is seen as it lands in a remote area near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan with Expedition 72 NASA astronaut Don Pettit, and Roscosmos cosmonauts Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner aboard, April 19, 2025 (April 20, 2025, Kazakhstan time). The trio are returning to Earth after logging 220 days in space as members of Expeditions 71 and 72 aboard the International Space Station.
NASA/Bill Ingalls