NASA’s oldest serving astronaut returned to Earth on Saturday following a 7-month mission on board the International Space Station (ISS). Don Pettit marked his 70th birthday with a special homecoming, although his post-touchdown appearance raised concerns that the astronaut wasn’t doing so well after landing in Kazakhstan.

Veteran NASA astronaut Don Pettit celebrated his 70th birthday as he returned to Earth from a seven-month stay at the International Space Station

Unsurprisingly, the media has focused on Pettit's age, as the astronaut turned 70 on the very day he returned to Earth. At this age, he is NASA's oldest living astronaut. However, he is not the oldest NASA astronaut ever. That title goes to John Glenn, one of the original seven Mercury astronauts who spent nearly nine days on Discovery, aged 77.