Donald Pettit
A relentlessly curious astronaut who turned the International Space Station into a workshop for ingenious scientific improvisation.
Born 1955 (age 71)·American astronaut and engineer·Birthday: April 20·Baby Boomers
Biography
Don Pettit approaches spaceflight with the mind of a tinkerer and the eye of a poet. A chemical engineer by training, he didn't join NASA's astronaut corps until his mid-40s, bringing a seasoned scientist's perspective to orbit. On his first long-duration mission to the ISS, he became famous for his 'Saturday Morning Science' experiments—using simple, everyday items like duct tape and water to demonstrate physics in microgravity for audiences back on Earth. Pettit is a prolific inventor in space, creating tools like the zero-g coffee cup that allows astronauts to drink without a straw, and a barn-door tracker for capturing stunning astrophotography. His cumulative time in space, over 590 days across three expeditions, makes him one of NASA's most experienced fliers. Even in his 70s, he remains an active astronaut, embodying a spirit of lifelong curiosity and proving that space is not just for exploration, but for continuous, hands-on discovery.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Donald was born in 1955, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Donald Was Born
The biggest hits of 1955
#1 Movie
Lady and the Tramp
Best Picture
Marty
#1 TV Show
The $64,000 Question
Donald's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1955Born
Rosa Parks refuses to give up her bus seat
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $9,550Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Rock Around the Clock" — Bill Haley & His CometsBest Picture: Marty
1960Started school
Kennedy-Nixon debates become first televised presidential debates
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,900Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Theme from A Summer Place" — Percy FaithBest Picture: The Apartment
1968Became a teenager
Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy assassinated
Gas: $0.34/galHome: $14,950Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Hey Jude" — The BeatlesBest Picture: Oliver!
1971Could drive
Voting age lowered to 18 in the US
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $18,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Joy to the World" — Three Dog NightBest Picture: The French Connection
1973Could vote
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1976Turned 21
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1985Turned 30
Live Aid concerts raise money for Ethiopian famine
Gas: $1.12/galHome: $62,900Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Careless Whisper" — Wham!Best Picture: Out of Africa
1995Turned 40
Oklahoma City bombing; Windows 95 released
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $96,500Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Gangsta's Paradise" — CoolioBest Picture: Braveheart
2005Turned 50
Hurricane Katrina devastates New Orleans; YouTube launches
Gas: $2.30/galHome: $167,500Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"We Belong Together" — Mariah CareyBest Picture: Crash
2015Turned 60
Paris climate agreement; same-sex marriage legalized in the US
Gas: $2.43/galHome: $171,900Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Uptown Funk" — Mark Ronson ft. Bruno MarsBest Picture: Spotlight
2025Turned 70
AI agents go mainstream
Gas: $3.10/galHome: $385,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"APT." — Rose & Bruno Mars
2026Age 71 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Invented the 'Space Cup,' a zero-gravity fluid dynamics experiment and drinking vessel that received a patent for an invention made in space.
- Conducted the popular 'Saturday Morning Science' educational series during his first ISS expedition, performing improvised microgravity experiments.
- Accumulated over 590 days in space across three long-duration missions on the International Space Station.
- Served as a flight engineer on Expedition 6, remaining aboard the ISS after the Columbia disaster and returning on a Russian Soyuz spacecraft.
- Pioneered techniques for orbital astrophotography, capturing detailed images of celestial phenomena and Earth's surface.
Did You Know?
He is a skilled machinist and often designs and builds his own experimental hardware for space missions.
He spent six weeks in Antarctica on a meteorite-gathering expedition with the ANSMET program.
He is, as of 2026, NASA's oldest active astronaut.
He brought a bag of 100-year-old coffee beans to space on one mission and brewed coffee in microgravity.
He holds a patent for the 'Coffee Cup for Use in Microgravity.'
“Space is a harsh mistress. She will kill you in a heartbeat if you don't pay attention.”
