‘I feel like a little kid’: NASA astronaut, 70, reflects on his 220-day mission

(HOUSTON) -- NASA's oldest active-duty astronaut has returned to Earth after spending more than seven months in space, telling reporters he still feels "like a little kid inside" despite turning 70 during his mission.

During a press conference Monday at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, veteran astronaut Don Pettit reflected on his latest 220-day mission aboard the International Space Station (ISS).

"It's good to be back on planet Earth. As much as I love exploring space, going into the frontier and making observations and doing the mission, you do reach a time where it's time to come home and here I am," Pettit said.

The accomplished astronaut has now accumulated 590 days in space over four missions, ranking third on NASA's all-time list. As an Expedition 71/72 flight engineer, Pettit orbited Earth 3,520 times and traveled more than 93.3 million miles before returning aboard a Russian-made Soyuz spacecraft on his 70th birthday.

While in orbit, Pettit conducted hundreds of hours of scientific research. His investigations focused on enhancing metal 3D printing capabilities in space, advancing water sanitization technologies, exploring plant growth under different water conditions and studying fire behavior in microgravity.

"I want to do things in space that you can only do in space, and I'll worry about catching up with TV programs and things like that after I come back. So, that's that aspect of why I spent time in space working on a science of opportunity, getting to one of my favorite experiments," Pettit said.

 Pettit explained that astronauts spend most of their time on the ISS "taking things apart and fixing it." He said the work "involves mechanical skills, it involves electrical skills, it involves fluid skills. These are the exact kinds of things that I love to do in my spare time."

The seasoned astronaut described spending three hours fixing a $12 razor aboard the ISS. He said he wasn't trying to save money; he just loves tinkering with things.

An avid photographer, Pettit took over 670,000 photos while on the ISS, often sharing his images on social media. He said he wanted to share the experience with others and used his camera to tell the story of his mission.

"I could look out the window and just enjoy the view, but when I'm looking out the window just enjoying the view, it's like, 'Oh, wow. A meteor. Oh, wow. Look at that. Man, there's a flasher. What's that? And, oh, look at that. A volcano going off.'" Pettit said. "And it's like, okay, where's my camera? I got to record that. And part of this drive for me is when your mission is over, it's photographs and memories."

Pettit credits his trainers and flight doctors for helping with his recovery and getting his body reacclimated to Earth's gravity. While he is happy to be home, the 70-year-old says there are advantages to living in space.

For the septuagenarian astronaut, space offers unique benefits beyond scientific discovery. Petit loves that being in space makes him feel 30 years old again.

"You're floating, and your body, all these little aches and pains, and everything heal up, and you feel like you're 30 years old again and free of pain, free of everything, and ready to do your mission work. So, I love being in orbit. It's a great place to be for me and my physiology," he said, suggesting that even at 70, space exploration remains within reach.

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