View source for Donald Pettit

{{short description|American astronaut and engineer (born 1955)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2024}}{{Use American English|date=October 2025}}

{{Infobox astronaut
| name = Donald Pettit
| image = Don Pettit 2024 (portrait crop).jpg
| caption = Pettit in 2024
| birth_name = Donald Roy Pettit
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1955|4|20}}
| birth_place = [[Silverton, Oregon]], U.S.
| death_date = 
| death_place = 
| education = [[Oregon State University]] ([[Bachelor of Science|BS]])<br />[[University of Arizona]] ([[Master of Science|MS]], [[Doctor of Philosophy|PhD]])
| type = [[NASA astronaut]]
| time = 590&nbsp;days, 1&nbsp;hour, 38&nbsp;minutes
| selection = [[NASA Astronaut Group 16|NASA Group 16 (1996)]]
| evas = 2
| eva_time = 13&nbsp;hours, 17&nbsp;minutes
| mission = {{Unbulleted indent list
   | [[STS-113]]/[[Soyuz TMA-1]] ([[Expedition&nbsp;6]])
   | [[STS-126]]
   | [[Soyuz TMA-03M]] ([[Expedition&nbsp;30]]/[[Expedition 31|31]])
   | [[Soyuz MS-26]] ([[Expedition&nbsp;71]]/[[Expedition 72|72]])
   }}
| insignia = [[File:STS-113 Patch.svg|40px]] [[File:Expedition 6 insignia.svg|40px]] [[File:Soyouz TMA-1 logo.svg|40px]] [[File:STS-126 patch.svg|40px]] [[File:ISS Expedition 30 Patch.png|40px]] [[File:ISS Expedition 31 Patch.png|40px]] [[File:ISS Expedition 71 Patch.png|40px]] [[File:ISS Expedition 72 Patch.png|40px]]
| module = {{Infobox scientist
|embed = yes
|field = [[Chemical engineering]]
|thesis_title = Coherent Detection of Scattered Light by Submicrometer Aerosols
|thesis_url = http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/10760366
|thesis_year = 1983
|doctoral_advisor = Thomas Peterson}}
}}

'''Donald Roy Pettit''' (born April 20, 1955) is an American [[astronaut]] and [[chemical engineering|chemical engineer]] best known for his orbital astrophotography and in-space inventions such as the Zero G Cup, which received the first ever patent for an object invented in space.<ref name="WhyIMake">{{Cite web |date=February 6, 2018 |title=#WhyIMake &#124; Don Pettit |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xbxw4V69IzU |access-date=May 22, 2024 |website=[[YouTube]] |publisher=InfoSys Foundation USA}}</ref> 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 [[meteorite]]s in [[Antarctica]]. As of 2025, at age 70, he is NASA's oldest active astronaut and the third oldest person to reach orbit, behind [[John Glenn]] and [[Larry Connor]]. He has accumulated 590 days in space.

== Early life and education ==
Pettit was born and raised in [[Silverton, Oregon]]. He is an [[Eagle Scout (Boy Scouts of America)|Eagle Scout]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Astronauts and the BSA |url=http://usscouts.org/usscouts/eagle/eagleastronauts.asp |access-date=September 16, 2010 |website=Fact sheet |publisher=[[Boy Scouts of America]]}}</ref>

Pettit graduated from [[Oregon State University]] in 1978 with a [[Bachelor of Science]] in chemical engineering. He then did graduate study in chemical engineering at the [[University of Arizona]], receiving a [[Doctor of Philosophy|Ph.D.]] in 1983.

== NASA career ==
[[File:Star trails lightning bugs.jpg|thumb|left|"Lightning Bugs', a star trail image taken by Pettit in 2012 that went viral]]Pettit worked as a scientist at the [[Los Alamos National Laboratory]] from 1984 until 1996, when [[NASA]] selected him as an astronaut candidate. He was a junior advisor to the Synthesis Committee of the [[Space Exploration Initiative]] on its May 1991 report "America at the Threshold", recommending plans for a [[human mission to Mars]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=May 3, 1991 |title=America at the Threshold |url=https://www.lpi.usra.edu/lunar/strategies/Threshold.pdf |access-date=December 21, 2022 |website=USRA}}</ref>{{rp|A-7}}

An [[Astrophotography|astrophotographer]], Pettit has captured thousands of unique star trails and photographic data sets, which he regularly shares online. One, titled 'Lightning Bugs', went viral on the internet.<ref>{{Cite web |date=September 21, 2022 |title=Star Trails in Space Captured by NASA Astronaut in Incredible Viral Image |url=https://www.newsweek.com/nasa-star-trails-astronaut-donald-pettit-space-photo-iss-1744797 |website=[[Newsweek]]}}</ref>

=== Spaceflight experience ===
==== Expedition 6 ====
[[File:Iss006-348-005.jpg|thumb|Pettit pictured during an EVA on Expedition 6]]
Pettit's first journey to space was as a flight engineer on [[Expedition 6]], a long-duration mission aboard the International Space Station (ISS). Originally the backup for NASA astronaut [[Donald A. Thomas|Donald Thomas]], Pettit was assigned to the mission just weeks before launch after Thomas was grounded due to medical concerns. The crew lifted off on November 24, 2002, aboard {{OV|105}} on mission [[STS-113]].<ref name="Too far – Jones '07">{{Cite book |last=Jones |first=Chris |url=https://archive.org/details/toofarfromhomest00jone |title=Too Far from Home: A Story of Life and Death in Space |date=March 6, 2007 |publisher=Doubleday |isbn=978-0-385-51465-1 |edition=1st |url-access=registration}}</ref>

During his time on the ISS, Pettit conducted two [[Extravehicular activity|extravehicular activities]] (EVAs) to install external scientific equipment. He was not initially scheduled for a spacewalk but stepped in for [[Nikolai Budarin]], who was removed from the task days before due to a medical issue.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Harwood |first=William |date=January 7, 2003 |title=Pettit replaces Budarin for space station spacewalk |url=https://spaceflightnow.com/news/n0301/07exp6eva/ |access-date=March 18, 2025 |work=Spaceflight Now}}</ref> In his free time on ISS, Pettit created and filmed "Saturday Morning Science", a series of demonstrations exploring fluid behavior in microgravity.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20030811035841/http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/station/crew/exp6/spacechronicles_videos.html NASA.gov]</ref>

The mission was extended by about two months after the [[Space Shuttle Columbia disaster|Space Shuttle ''Columbia'' disaster]] on February 1, 2003, which led to the grounding of the shuttle fleet. Instead of returning on a shuttle as planned, the crew returned in the Russian [[Soyuz TMA-1]] capsule on May 4, 2003, the first time NASA astronauts had landed in a Soyuz spacecraft.<ref name="Too far – Jones '07" />

Pettit's first Soyuz landing proved challenging. Concerned about potential radiation damage to his scientific film before a shuttle could retrieve it, he secured the materials in a {{Convert|20|kg|abbr=off|adj=on}} pack strapped to his chest. While a typical Soyuz descent subjects astronauts to 3 [[G-force|G's]], guidance system failure during the [[Soyuz TMA]]'s inaugural reentry caused a ballistic reentry, exposing the crew to over 8 G's. This intensified the pack's weight to approximately {{Convert|160|kg|abbr=off}}, leaving Pettit exhausted and reportedly causing a shoulder dislocation.<ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i959ThPiuRE |title=Astronaut Don Pettit's First Spaceflight was Crazy - And He's Still Flying! |date=2024-09-13 |last=Manley |first=Scott |author-link=Scott Manley |access-date=2024-09-24 |via=YouTube}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Soyuz TMA-1 ISS EP-4 |url=http://www.astronautix.com/s/soyuztma-1issep-4.html |access-date=2024-09-24 |website=www.astronautix.com}}</ref> However, space agencies downplayed the incident, stating the astronauts were in good condition.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Marmur Astana |first=Maxim |date=May 4, 2003 |title=Station Crew Returns Safely To Earth After Nerve-Wracking Search |url=https://www.spacedaily.com/news/iss-03j.html |access-date=2024-09-24 |website=Space Daily |agency=Agence France-Presse}}</ref>

==== STS-126 ====
Pettit was a mission specialist on the [[STS-126]], a short-duration mission on Space Shuttle ''Endeavour'' to deliver equipment and supplies to the ISS.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Schwartz |first=John |date=November 14, 2008 |title=Handyman to Return to His Space Workshop |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/14/science/space/14pettit.html |access-date=August 31, 2009 |website=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref>

In his free time on ISS, Pettit performed experiments related to the clumping of solid particles in [[microgravity]]. The experiments showed that particles of various materials which varied in size between 1&nbsp;micrometer and 6&nbsp;millimeters naturally clumped together in microgravity when confined to a volume of 4 liters that included a few grams of the materials. The cause was theorized to be electrostatic. This presents a plausible mechanism for the initial stages of planetary formation, since particles of this size do not have sufficient gravity to cause this phenomenon.<ref>{{Cite web |title=FAST, REPEATABLE CLUMPING OF SOLID PARTICLES IN MICROGRAVITY |url=http://www.lpi.usra.edu/meetings/lpsc2004/pdf/1119.pdf |access-date=May 29, 2010 |publisher=S. G. Love and D. R. Pettit}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Building Planets in Plastic Bags |url=http://www.skyandtelescope.com/news/3308986.html?page=1&c=y |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100517010030/http://www.skyandtelescope.com/news/3308986.html?page=1&c=y |archive-date=May 17, 2010 |access-date=May 29, 2010 |publisher=Sky and Telescope}}</ref>

==== Expedition 30/31 ====
Pettit again launched to the International Space Station on December 21, 2011, as part of the [[Expedition 30]]/[[Expedition 31|31]] crew.<ref>{{Cite news |date=December 21, 2011 |title=New expedition 30 crew members launch to station |url=http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/living/index.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200602184650/https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/living/index.html |archive-date=June 2, 2020 |access-date=December 21, 2011 |work=[[NASA]]}}</ref> He and fellow crew members [[Oleg Kononenko]] and [[André Kuipers]] arrived at the ISS on December 23.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Klotz |first=Irene |date=December 23, 2011 |title=New crew arrives at International Space Station |url=https://af.reuters.com/article/southAfricaNews/idAFN1E7BM09720111223 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120109020517/http://af.reuters.com/article/southAfricaNews/idAFN1E7BM09720111223 |archive-date=January 9, 2012 |access-date=December 23, 2011 |work=[[Reuters]]}}</ref>
Among his off-duty video demonstrations on the space station has been on water as [[thin film]] and the [[Marangoni convection]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Don Pettit |date=March 8, 2012 |title=Thin Film Physics |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_z67aR-QgfE |publisher=PhysicsCentralAPS}}</ref> On May 25, 2012, Pettit operated the [[Canadarm2]] to grapple the first [[SpaceX Dragon 1]] and berth it to the [[Harmony (ISS module)|''Harmony'' module]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Jonathan Amos |date=May 25, 2012 |title=Station grabs SpaceX Dragon ship |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-18195772 |access-date=May 25, 2012 |work=[[BBC News]]}}</ref> During the capture, he was quoted saying, "Houston, Station, we've got us a dragon by the tail."<ref>{{Cite web |date=May 25, 2012 |title=International Space Station Catches 'Dragon by the Tail' |url=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/science/international-space-station-captures-dragon-capsule |access-date=July 21, 2025 |website=PBS News |language=en-us}}</ref>

This marked the first time a private spacecraft had ever rendezvoused with the ISS. The Dragon capsule was carrying supplies for the ISS, and the successful capture demonstrated the feasibility of using privately developed spacecraft to resupply the station. Pettit was the first to enter the uncrewed supply ship on May 26, making him the first astronaut in the history of space exploration to successfully enter a commercially-built and operated spacecraft in orbit.

===== Angry Birds Space Demos =====
[[File:Donald Pettit Angry Birds ISS.jpg|thumb|Pettit demonstrates microgravity using characters from 'Angry Birds'.]]
During Expedition 30, on behalf of NASA in cooperation with [[Finland]]-based [[Rovio Entertainment]], creator of the [[Angry Birds]] franchise, Pettit made a video by using an Angry Birds character to explain how physics works in space, including demonstrating [[trajectory|trajectories]] in microgravity by catapulting a Red Bird through the space station.

NASA states that such collaboration may share the excitement of space with the game community, educate users on NASA's programs, and create interactive educational experiences for the public.<ref>{{Cite web |date=March 8, 2012 |title=What Is Microgravity? |url=http://www.nasa.gov/microgravity/ |access-date=March 22, 2012}}</ref>

The footage was released by NASA both on its official site and [[YouTube]] along with another commercial version by Rovio on March 8, 2012, to announce the launch of new game [[Angry Birds Space]] on March 22, 2012.<ref>{{Cite web |date=March 8, 2012 |title=Angry Birds in Space |url=http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/videogallery/index.html?media_id=135045411 |access-date=March 22, 2012}}</ref>

==== Expedition 71/72 ====
[[File:Expedition 72 Preflight (NHQ202409110003).jpg|thumb|NASA Associate Administrator [[Ken Bowersox]] (left) and NASA ISS Program Deputy Manager Dina Contella (right) walk Pettit to Soyuz MS-26. Bowersox was also Pettit's commander on Expedition 6.]]
On September 11, 2024, Pettit launched aboard [[Soyuz MS-26]] alongside Russian cosmonauts [[Aleksey Ovchinin]] and [[Ivan Vagner]]. The trio joined the crews of [[Expedition 71]] and later [[Expedition 72]] for a mission aboard the ISS lasting 220 days. During their mission, the crew orbited Earth 3,520 times, traveling approximately 93.3 million miles. Pettit conducted scientific investigations on behalf of NASA, including studies on water purification technology, plant growth in microgravity, and fire behavior in space. He also continued to share his astrophotography work to acclaim on social media.<ref name="Space-Return">{{Cite web |last=Wall |first=Mike |date=April 21, 2025 |title=Don Pettit, NASA's oldest active astronaut at 70, arrives in Houston after 7-month space mission (photo) |url=https://www.space.com/space-exploration/international-space-station/don-pettit-nasas-oldest-active-astronaut-at-70-arrives-in-houston-after-7-month-space-mission-photo |access-date=April 22, 2025 |website=Space.com}}</ref><ref name="AP-Return">{{Cite web |title=A Soyuz capsule with 2 Russians and 1 American returns to Earth from the International Space Station |url=https://apnews.com/article/5d71f4f61e3a3ff083fc07b03ef65674 |access-date=April 22, 2025 |website=AP News|date=April 20, 2025 }}</ref>

The mission concluded on April 20, 2025, with the safe landing of Soyuz MS-26 on the [[Kazakh Steppe]] on Pettit's 70th birthday, making him NASA's oldest active-duty astronaut to return from space. As recovery teams assisted the crew from the capsule, Pettit appeared disoriented, a sensation he had anticipated due to prior experiences with readjustment to gravity.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=since 1984 |first1=William Harwood CBS News Space Consultant Bill Harwood has been covering the U. S. space program full-time |last2=International |first2=first as Cape Canaveral bureau chief for United Press |last3=Harwood |first3=now as a consultant for CBS News Read Full Bio William |date=2025-04-19 |title=NASA's Don Pettit, 2 cosmonaut crewmates, wrap up seven-month space station visit - CBS News |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/don-pettit-nasa-cosmonauts-return-seven-months-space-station/ |access-date=2025-04-22 |website=www.cbsnews.com |language=en-US}}</ref> NASA said after the landing that Pettit was doing well and was flown to NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston for normal post-flight evaluation and rehabilitation.<ref name="NASA-Return">{{Cite web |last=Bardan |first=Roxana |date=April 20, 2025 |title=NASA Astronaut Don Pettit, Crewmates Complete Space Station Expedition |url=https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-astronaut-don-pettit-crewmates-complete-space-station-expedition/ |access-date=April 21, 2025 |website=NASA}}</ref>

== Innovations and inventions ==
[[File:Don pettit operates barn door tracker aboard ISS.jpg|thumb|Astronaut Pettit operates the [[barn door tracker]] he constructed for ISS-based photography of the Earth's surface.]]
During Expedition 6, Pettit used spare parts found throughout the Station to construct a [[barn door tracker]]; the device compensates for the movement of the ISS relative to the Earth's surface, permitting sharper high resolution images of city lights at night from the orbiting space station.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Cindy Evans & Will Stefanov |date=April 22, 2008 |title=Cities at Night: The View from Space |url=http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/CitiesAtNight/ |access-date=August 31, 2009 |publisher=NASA}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Space Station Astrophotography |url=https://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2003/24mar_noseprints.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090814092203/http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2003/24mar_noseprints.htm |archive-date=August 14, 2009 |access-date=August 31, 2009 |publisher=NASA}}</ref>

In November 2008, Pettit invented the [[zero-g]] [[Coffee cup#Zero-gravity sipping|coffee cup]], which used the principle of [[Capillary flow|capillary channel flow]] to carry fluid along a crease to permit drinking and avoid the necessity of a straw. The first prototype was developed on the ISS using repurposed materials pinched into a teardrop shape. This zero-g cup was featured in the May 2009 issue of ''[[National Geographic]]'' magazine, along with his notes on the relation of the internal cup angle to the contact wetting angle for various construction materials.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Charlie White |title=Astronaut invents coffee cup for a weightless cup o' joe |url=http://dvice.com/archives/2009/02/astronaut_inven.php |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110723033115/http://dvice.com/archives/2009/02/astronaut_inven.php |archive-date=July 23, 2011 |access-date=August 31, 2009}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=The Zero Gravity Coffee Cup &#124; Science Mission Directorate |url=https://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2013/15jul_coffeecup |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180910121209/https://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2013/15jul_coffeecup/ |archive-date=September 10, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=NASA: Capillary Cup {{!}} Vignelli Center {{!}} RIT |url=https://www.rit.edu/vignellicenter/product-timecapsule/nasa-capillary-cup |access-date=July 21, 2025 |website=www.rit.edu}}</ref> The cup received the first ever patent for an object invented in space.<ref name="WhyIMake" /><ref>{{cite patent|title=Beverage cup for use in spacecraft or weightless environments|country=US|number=20110101009A1|inventor=Donald Roy Pettit, Mark Milton Weislogel, Paul Concus, Roberl Finn|pubdate=2011-05-05|gdate=2011-12-13|fdate=2009-11-05}}</ref>

== Antarctica ==
From November 2006 through January 2007, Pettit joined the [[ANSMET|Antarctic Search for Meteorites]] (ANSMET), spending six weeks in the Antarctic summer collecting meteorite samples,<ref>{{Cite web |date=December 11, 2006 |title=Don Pettit Goes to Antarctica |url=https://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2006/11dec_donpettit.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071031102131/http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2006/11dec_donpettit.htm |archive-date=October 31, 2007 |access-date=September 21, 2007}}</ref> including a lunar meteorite.  During the expedition, he was called on to perform emergency electrical repairs to a snowmobile and emergency dental surgery.  Periods of tent-confining inclement weather were spent continuing his Saturday Morning Science series—"on Ice"—with photographic surveys of crystal sizes of glacial ice samples and collections of magnetic [[micrometeoroid|micrometeorites]] from ice melt used for cooking water. He estimated Antarctic glacial ice to contain roughly 1 micrometeorite per [[litre|liter]].

{{Clear}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}
{{Include-NASA}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category}}
* {{Twitter|name=Don Pettit}}
* [https://www.nasa.gov/astronauts/biographies/donald-r-pettit/biography NASA Biography]
* [https://spaceref.com/tag/don-pettit-space-chronicles-on-ice/ Don Pettit's Space Chronicles on Ice]
* {{YouTube|pk7LcugO3zg|Zero-g coffee cup demonstration}}
* [http://scarc.library.oregonstate.edu/oh150/pettit/index.html Don Pettit Oral History Interview]

{{People currently in space}}
{{NASA Astronaut Group 16}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pettit, Donald}}
[[Category:1955 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:American astronauts]]
[[Category:Oregon State University alumni]]
[[Category:University of Arizona alumni]]
[[Category:People from Silverton, Oregon]]
[[Category:Crew members of the International Space Station]]
[[Category:Los Alamos National Laboratory personnel]]
[[Category:Space Shuttle program astronauts]]
[[Category:Spacewalkers]]