Don Pettit will turn 70 in April. He is the oldest active astronaut at NASA, and one of the best photographers who have passed through the International Space Station, as he continues to demonstrate from Earth orbit.
Pettit flew to the International Space Station for the third time in September 2024. He did so aboard the Russian Soyuz MS-25 spacecraft, becoming the second oldest person to reach orbit; after the legendary John Glenn, who did it at age 77. On his six-month mission as part of Expedition 72, he has once again delighted us with some of his catches.
His latest photo features the core of the Milky Way and the zodiacal light diffused by interplanetary dust. In addition to a starry sky, which we do not usually see in images of the International Space Station due to the intense brightness of the Earth, the long exposure image allows us to glimpse the night lights of the cities stretched by the movement of the ship, the dawn in the horizon and the ocher tone of the hydroxide in the Earth’s atmosphere.
The Milky Way and several Starlink satellites seen from the window of a Crew Dragon spacecraft in 2025
Pettit took this photo from the side window of the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft that arrived at the International Space Station with two astronauts and two empty seats for Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who participated in the ill-fated Boeing Starliner capsule test mission. . By the way, it is not SpaceX’s only relationship with the photo, because those bright trails seen in the center are Starlink satellites from Elon Musk’s company.
Thunderstorms, city lights and the star trail in 2012
Two Russian Soyuz spacecraft with star trails and cities in the background
Pettit masters the long exposure game like few others, and on his previous missions he captured the relative motion of stars with photos like these.
The Canadarm robotic arm of the ISS with the Iberian Peninsula in the background
As well as spectacular panoramic views, among which this image of the Iberian Peninsula, North Africa and the Strait of Gibraltar that separates them stands out.
Image of the Ganges River in India taken at infrared wavelengths
Another infrared image of an erupting volcano in Patagonia
Well equipped, you also know when to switch to the infrared spectrum, where you captured these images of the Ganges River in India and a volcano in Patagonia.
Comet Atlas C2024-G3 passing by Earth a few days ago
Two days before uploading the photo that heads this article, Pettit shared a photo of comet Atlas C2024-G3 as it passed by our planet, brightly illuminated by the Sun in the days before its perigee.
Pettit started 2025 from the ISS with this view of the New Year’s auroras
The veteran astronaut also did not waste the intense solar activity on New Year’s, and shared impressive photos of the auroras from the point of view of the International Space Station.
When not taking photos, Pettit uses his free time to experiment with microgravity. He has created numerous educational videos and, together with engineer Mark Weislogel, developed a special cup for drinking coffee in space. The invention, which takes advantage of the surface tension of the liquid, earned them the first patent obtained entirely from Earth orbit.
