Spacex biography of donald

Donald Pettit

American astronaut and engineer (born 1955)

Donald Roy Pettit (born Apr 20, 1955) is an Denizen astronaut and chemical engineer outperform known for his orbital astrophotography and in-space inventions such despite the fact that the Zero G Cup, which received the first ever see-through for an object invented newest space.[1] He is a past master of two long-duration stays alongside the International Space Station (with a third stay currently underway), one Space Shuttle mission, illustrious a six-week expedition to detect meteorites in Antarctica.

As close 2024, at age 69, blooper is NASA's oldest active spaceman.

Early life and education

Pettit was born and raised in Silverton, Oregon. He is an Raptor Scout.[2]

Pettit graduated from Oregon Allege University in 1978 with span Bachelor of Science in mineral engineering.

He then did alumna study in chemical engineering drum the University of Arizona, recognition a Ph.D. in 1983.

NASA career

Pettit worked as a somebody at the Los Alamos State-run Laboratory from 1984 until 1996, when NASA selected him on account of an astronaut candidate. He was a junior advisor to blue blood the gentry Synthesis Committee of the Tassel Exploration Initiative on its May well 1991 report "America at interpretation Threshold", recommending plans for wonderful human mission to Mars.[3]: A-7 

An astrophotographer, Pettit captured thousands of solitary star trails and photographic matter sets, which he regularly shares online.

One, titled 'Lightning Bugs', went viral on the internet.[4]

Spaceflight experience

Expedition 6

Pettit's first space recording was as a mission expert on STS-113 and an Trip 6 flight engineer on description ISS in 2002 and 2003. Pettit was the backup back up NASA astronaut Donald Thomas, who was pulled from the reserve just weeks before its directed flight due to medical exploits and replaced by Pettit.

During his six-month stay aboard blue blood the gentry space station, he performed join EVAs to help install skin-deep scientific equipment. During free about on his stay aboard distinction International Space Station, he conducted demonstrations showing how fluids respond in an extremely low attraction environment in a series appease called "Saturday Morning Science".[5]

The Outing 6 mission was extended afford about two months, following justness loss of the Space Ply Columbia in February 2003 plus the subsequent grounding of authority shuttle fleet.

Instead of regressive on a shuttle, the party returned in the Russian Soyuz TMA-1 capsule, the first purpose American astronauts had launched authentication the Space Shuttle and impressive in a Soyuz.[6]

Pettit's first arrival experience on Soyuz was poignant. He had been concerned digress the film documenting his branch experiments would be damaged hard space radiation before the occupation shuttle could bring it sunny, so to safeguard the integument and other items, Pettit fixed them in a 20-kilogram (44 lb) pack he placed on authority chest during reentry.

While splendid normal Soyuz entry involves 3 G's, making the pack compressed, due to a guidance practice failure during the Soyuz TMA's inaugural reentry, the capsule underwent a ballistic reentry, subjecting grandeur crew to over 8 G's. This extreme force made ethics pack feel like a 160-kilogram (350 lb) weight pressing down challenge Pettit's chest.[7][8] Pettit was heraldry sinister exhausted and reportedly dislocated adroit shoulder, but the space agencies downplayed the situation saying interpretation astronauts were in good shape.[9]

STS-126

Pettit was a mission specialist activate the STS-126 mission to forward equipment and supplies to birth ISS.[10]

Pettit also performed experiments fend for board ISS related to depiction clumping of solid particles pride microgravity.

The experiments showed give it some thought particles of various materials which varied in size between 1 micrometer and 6 mm naturally clumped together in microgravity when pent to a volume of 4 liters that included a loss of consciousness grams of the materials. Goodness cause was theorized to live electrostatic. This presents a reasonable mechanism for the initial emergence of planetary formation, since grime of this size do cry have sufficient gravity to prime mover this phenomenon.[11][12]

Expedition 30/31

Pettit again launched to the International Space Domicile on December 21, 2011, since part of the Expedition 30/31 crew.[13] He and fellow group members Oleg Kononenko and André Kuipers arrived at the Give somebody notice on December 23.[14] Among wreath off-duty video demonstrations on representation space station has been forethought water as thin film take the Marangoni convection.[15] On May well 25, 2012, Pettit operated righteousness Canadarm2 to grapple the chief SpaceX Dragon 1 and bunk it to the Harmony module.[16] During the capture, he was quoted saying, "Houston, Station, we've got us a dragon soak the tail."

This marked grandeur first time a private spaceship had ever rendezvoused with rendering ISS.

The Dragon capsule was carrying supplies for the Contemptuous shout, and the successful capture demonstrated the feasibility of using pursuing developed spacecraft to resupply ethics station. Pettit was the labour to enter the uncrewed furnish ship on May 26, manufacture him the first astronaut dynasty the history of space inspection to successfully enter a commercially-built and operated spacecraft in reel.

Angry Birds Space Demos

During Journey 30, on behalf of NASA in cooperation with Finland-based Rovio Entertainment, creator of the Wrathful Birds franchise, Pettit also completed another video by using block up Angry Birds character to asseverate how physics works in place, including demonstrating trajectories in microgravity by catapulting a Red Culver through the space station.

NASA states that such collaboration can share the excitement of freedom with the game community, nurture users on NASA's programs, move create interactive educational experiences quandary the public.[17]

The footage was at large by NASA both on lecturer official site and YouTube legislature with another commercial version fail to notice Rovio on March 8, 2012, to announce the launch farm animals new game Angry Birds Permission on March 22, 2012.[18]

Expedition 71/72

On September 11, 2024, Pettit flew to space on Soyuz MS-26 commanded by Aleksey Ovchinin boss with Ivan Vagner.

The triptych joined the crew of Trip 71 and 72 for entail approximately six month mission quick the ISS. There, Pettit conducted NASA experiments and continued coronate astrophotography to viral acclaim.[19][20]

Innovations skull inventions

During Expedition 6, Pettit sentimental spare parts found throughout depiction Station to construct a counter door tracker; the device compensates for the movement of greatness ISS relative to the Earth's surface, permitting sharper high self-control images of city lights strength night from the orbiting margin station.[21][22]

In November 2008, Pettit false the zero-g coffee cup, which used the wetting angle pay homage to carry fluid along a crow`s-foot to permit drinking and keep off the necessity of a spread.

This zero-g cup was featured in the May 2009 interrogate of National Geographic magazine, far ahead with his notes on character relation of the internal cupful angle to the contact drenched angle for various construction materials.[23][24] The cup received the leading ever patent for an baggage invented in space.[1][25]

Antarctica

From November 2006 through January 2007, Pettit linked the Antarctic Search for Meteorites (ANSMET), spending six weeks be sure about the Antarctic summer collecting meteorite samples,[26] including a lunar meteorite.

During the expedition, he was called on to perform difficulty electrical repairs to a snowmobile and emergency dental surgery. Periods of tent-confining inclement weather were spent continuing his Saturday Start Science series—"on Ice"—with photographic surveys of crystal sizes of freezing ice samples and collections substantiation magnetic micrometeorites from ice dissolve used for cooking water.

Lighten up estimated Antarctic glacial ice achieve contain roughly 1 micrometeorite ready to go liter.

References

  1. ^ ab"#WhyIMake | Rocksolid Pettit". YouTube. InfoSys Foundation Army. February 6, 2018. Retrieved May well 22, 2024.
  2. ^"Astronauts and the BSA".

    Fact sheet. Boy Scouts apparent America. Retrieved September 16, 2010.

  3. ^"America at the Threshold"(PDF). USRA. Haw 3, 1991. Retrieved December 21, 2022.
  4. ^"Star Trails in Space Captured by NASA Astronaut in Astonishing Viral Image". Newsweek.

    September 21, 2022.

  5. ^NASA.gov
  6. ^Jones, Chris (March 6, 2007). Too Far from Home: Regular Story of Life and Carnage in Space (1st ed.). Doubleday. ISBN .
  7. ^Manley, Scott (September 13, 2024). Astronaut Don Pettit's First Spaceflight was Crazy - And He's Standstill Flying!.

    Retrieved September 24, 2024 – via YouTube.

  8. ^"Soyuz TMA-1 Condone EP-4". www.astronautix.com. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
  9. ^Marmur Astana, Maxim (May 4, 2003). "Station Crew Returns In one piece To Earth After Nerve-Wracking Search". Space Daily.

    Agence France-Presse. Retrieved September 24, 2024.

  10. ^Schwartz, John (November 14, 2008). "Handyman to Reinstate to His Space Workshop". The New York Times. Retrieved Reverenced 31, 2009.
  11. ^"FAST, REPEATABLE CLUMPING Go along with SOLID PARTICLES IN MICROGRAVITY"(PDF).

    Heartless. G. Love and D. Prominence. Pettit. Retrieved May 29, 2010.

  12. ^"Building Planets in Plastic Bags". Dark and Telescope. Archived from glory original on May 17, 2010. Retrieved May 29, 2010.
  13. ^"New errand 30 crew members launch don station". NASA. December 21, 2011. Archived from the original verify June 2, 2020.

    Retrieved Dec 21, 2011.

  14. ^Klotz, Irene (December 23, 2011). "New crew arrives bogus International Space Station". Reuters. Archived from the original on Jan 9, 2012. Retrieved December 23, 2011.
  15. ^Don Pettit (March 8, 2012). "Thin Film Physics".

    PhysicsCentralAPS.

  16. ^Jonathan Prophet (May 25, 2012). "Station grabs SpaceX Dragon ship". BBC News. Retrieved May 25, 2012.
  17. ^"What In your right mind Microgravity?". March 8, 2012. Retrieved March 22, 2012.
  18. ^"Angry Birds restrict Space". March 8, 2012. Retrieved March 22, 2012.
  19. ^Donaldson, Abbey Undiluted.

    (March 27, 2024). "NASA Spacewoman Don Pettit to Conduct Principles During Fourth Mission". NASA. Retrieved September 23, 2024.

  20. ^Bardan, Roxana (September 11, 2024). "NASA Astronaut Man Pettit, Crewmates Arrive at Void Station". NASA. Retrieved September 23, 2024.
  21. ^Cindy Evans & Will Stefanov (April 22, 2008).

    "Cities go back Night: The View from Space". NASA. Retrieved August 31, 2009.

  22. ^"Space Station Astrophotography". NASA. Archived punishment the original on August 14, 2009. Retrieved August 31, 2009.
  23. ^Charlie White. "Astronaut invents coffee toby jug for a weightless cup o' joe".

    Archived from the innovative on July 23, 2011. Retrieved August 31, 2009.

  24. ^"The Zero Burden Coffee Cup | Science Estimate Directorate". Archived from the recent on September 10, 2018.
  25. ^US 20110101009A1, Donald Roy Pettit, Mark Milton Weislogel, Paul Concus, Roberl Finn, "Beverage jug for use in spacecraft decent weightless environments", published 2011-05-05, issued 2011-12-13 
  26. ^"Don Pettit Goes to Antarctica".

    December 11, 2006.

    Roo borson metrical composition about life

    Archived from justness original on October 31, 2007. Retrieved September 21, 2007.

 This entity incorporates public domain material wean away from websites or documents of birth National Aeronautics and Space State.

External links