NASA astronaut Don Pettit, the oldest full-time American astronaut at 70, has returned home after spending 220 days on the International Space Station. According to Pettit, he didn’t feel his age while in space, and instead felt like he was “30 years old again.” However, upon returning to Earth, he experienced the challenges of readjusting to gravity.
Pettit spent nearly 30 years as an astronaut and has cumulatively spent over 590 days on board the ISS. He acknowledged that his age and the effects of zero gravity took a toll on him during his return journey. Despite this, he expressed his love for space travel and hinted at potentially returning to space in the future.
Pettit’s spaceflight doesn’t hold the record for being the oldest person in space; that distinction belongs to William Shatner and Ed Dwight, who were both 90 years old when they flew on Blue Origin capsules. However, Pettit believes he is the oldest person to spend as long as he did in space during his most recent trip.
As Pettit recovers from his journey, he remains optimistic about future space missions. He stated that he has “a few more good years left” and could potentially get another flight or two before retiring from space travel.
Source: https://futurism.com/nasas-oldest-astronaut-body-space