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NASA Astronaut Returns to Earth on 70th Birthday

4/15/2025

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Summary

Story summary

NASA astronaut Don Pettit and cosmonauts Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner are set to return to Earth from the International Space Station on April 19. Undocking at 5:57 p.m. EDT, they will touch down in Kazakhstan at 9:20 p.m. EDT, marking a remarkable 220 days in space and Pettit's 70th birthday, having orbited Earth 3,520 times.

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Story summary

NASA astronaut Don Pettit and cosmonauts Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner are set to return to Earth from the International Space Station on April 19. Undocking at 5:57 p.m. EDT, they will touch down in Kazakhstan at 9:20 p.m. EDT, marking a remarkable 220 days in space and Pettit's 70th birthday, having orbited Earth 3,520 times.