The Next 10 Americans in Space

The shuttle has retired, but the astronauts haven’t.

  • By Tony Reichhardt
  • AirSpaceMag.com, July 26, 2011
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NASA


Don Pettit
Pettit was living on the space station in February 2003 when space shuttle Columbia was lost, a tragedy that forced NASA to rely on Russian space transportation for the next two and a half years and delayed Pettit’s and his crewmates’ return to Earth. During his two spaceflights the former chemical engineer has found all kinds of projects to satisfy his curiosity and love of tinkering, from inventing a zero-g coffee cup to filming auroras to taking stunning photos of Earth’s cities at night. Now he’s returning in November for another six-month stay as the flight engineer for Expedition 30/31. He may even continue his “Saturday Morning Science” lessons from orbit.


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Comments (2)

What do you mean, a couple of years with the Russians? More like 5 or more. I'll bet a lot more than that to get a man-rated spacecraft--so far an up-and-down thing that has flown only one time, maybe 2, and that will not even reach orbit. I wish the astronauts good luck!

What will the astronauts train for while waiting for the
next orbit of the sayous space capsel

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