Background
Pettit, Donald R. was born on April 20, 1955 in Silverton, Oregon, United States.
Astronaut researcher flight engineer
Pettit, Donald R. was born on April 20, 1955 in Silverton, Oregon, United States.
Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering, Oregon State University, 1978. Doctor of Philosophy in Chemical Engineering, University Arizona, 1983.
Staff scientist Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico, 1984—1996, member synthesis group, slated with assembling the technology to return to the moon and explore Mars, 1990, member Space Station Freedom Redesign Team, 1993. Mission specialist, Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center with technical duties in the Astronaut Office Computer Support Branch National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Houston, since 1996. Projects included: Reduced gravity fluid flow and materials processing experiments aboard the National Aeronautics and Space Administration KC-135 airplane, atmospheric spectroscopy measurements on noctolucent clouds seeded from sounding rocket payloads, volcano fumarole gas sampling on active volcanos, investigated problems in the detonation physics applied to weapons systems.
Completed first space flight as National Aeronautics and Space Administration ISS science officer and flight engineer aboard the International Space Station, Expedition-6 (launched in the STS-113 Space Shuttle Endeavour and returned to Earth on Soyuz Turnaround Management Association-1), November 23, 2002 to May 3, 2003, logged over 161 days in space and 2 EVAs (spacewalks) totalling 13 hours and 17 minutes. During the 5 1/2 months aboard the ISS, the crew worked with numerous United States and Russian science experiments. Crew member for STS-126 Endeavour Mission, 2008.
Married Micki Pettit. 2 children.