Looks Sick When Landing, NASA's Oldest Astronaut Don Pettit Reveals His Body Condition
NASA's oldest astronaut, Don Pettit, returned to Earth on April 20. When landing with two other astronauts in Kazakhstan, Pettit looked so sick that it had to be carried by several NASA crews.
Pettit's condition in the circulating picture also supports the allegation that the astronaut was seriously ill when he arrived on Earth. The reason is, Pettit looks very thin and pale even though he can still smile when there is a camera shooting.
More than a week after landing, Pettit finally explained about his body condition after landing on Russia's Soyuz spacecraft. Pettit said that his condition looked bad because he vomited as soon as he landed.
"(My appearance) doesn't look good because I'm not feeling well," Pettit said at a press conference held on Monday, April 28. "I emptied my stomach (floating) into Kazakhstan's desert."
No one knows that Pettit vomited after landing, except for people who saw the Soyuz MS-26 landing directly. Pettit also explained that nothing covered up the incident. However, this incident was ignored to provide privacy.
"They are polite and they highlight your face with the camera when it happens," said Pettit. "They cut scenes to give me a little privacy when I feel unwell. After all, no one wants to be caught on camera while doing that."
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To avoid the allegation of a disease from space, Pettit said that this incident often occurs because of his poor body in responding to Earth's gravity. Some people can get off the plane and eat immediately, but this is difficult for Pettit.
For someone like me, returning to Earth has always been a significant challenge. And even with a shuttle mission for 16 days, it's like going for six months on the space station. And that's just my physiphysi," Pettit explained.
Even though he felt sick, Pettit's condition is now much better. The astronaut, who had flown four times into space, felt that he had recovered after carrying out his post-land rehabilitation. This rehabilitation process will run in a month.