What’s it like to be 70 years old in space? “All those little aches and pains heal up.”

NASA astronaut Don Pettit celebrated his 70th birthday on April 20 by making a dramatic return to Earth, landing in Kazakhstan after spending 220 days in orbit, a record for his age. Unlike any previous birthday celebration, Pettit experienced the intense forces of re-entry, including 4.4gs in freefall, before landing and feeling the effects of the journey. While John Glenn had been older at 77 during his spaceflight, Pettit’s long duration in space at his age marks a unique achievement in human space exploration.

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