NASA astronaut Don Pettit to discuss his seven-month space mission on April 28; check live streaming details, time and how you can participate
Source: NASA
NASA
is set to broadcast a live news conference on Monday, April 28, at 2 p.m. EDT, in which astronaut
Don Pettit
will provide insights into his recent space mission on the International Space Station (ISS). Pettit arrived back on Earth on April 19 and spent 220 days in space during Expeditions 71 and 72. Pettit will give an overview of his experiences, scientific discoveries, and achievements during the conference. The event will be live streamed on NASA's website, with media and public opportunities to join via phone or social media. A live Q&A will then appear on NASA's Instagram account.
NASA astronaut Don Pettit to host live conference on his recent space mission
On Monday, April 28, at 2 p.m. EDT, NASA will host a live press conference in Houston at the Johnson Space Center. Astronaut Don Pettit will give engaging descriptions of his recent trip aboard the International Space Station (ISS) during the press conference.
This event will be webcast live online on the NASA website, and the public will have an opportunity to track along. Instructions on how to view the live stream on various digital media will be posted on NASA's official website.
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Don Pettit to host live conference: Media interactions
According to the NASA reports, press reporters who wish to view the news conference in person will need to contact the NASA Johnson newsroom by today, Thursday, April 24, at 5 p.m. EDT. The newsroom may be reached by dialing
281-483-5111
or
jsccommu@mail.nasa.gov
may be emailed.
In this way, the news conference can have all the media present in person and be organised and safe.
For those unable to attend in person, the conference will be made available remotely as well. U.S. news media participants who wish to participate by phone need to call the newsroom at least two hours before the event begins. To pose questions by phone, news media representatives need to dial in at least 10 minutes before the start of the conference. This openness allows media practitioners to draw on Pettit's mission and pose pertinent questions regardless of where they are located geographically.
NASA invites public to ask questions
#AskNASA campaign
In an attempt to trigger participation throughout the event, NASA is inviting the public to ask questions to astronaut Don Pettit as the event is streamed live. The attendees can do so through social media under the hashtag #AskNASA. The move promotes more interaction with the space community and provides people with a chance to interact with the experts firsthand and learn more about Pettit's mission and space exploration science.
Instagram Q&A session
In addition to the live conference, NASA will also organize a live question-and-answer session with Pettit on the agency's Instagram account. The post-conference Q&A session will allow for further discussion and an open forum to let the users live Pettit's experience and the importance of his mission.
Astronaut Don Pettit successfully returned after 220 days
Astronaut
Don Pettit returned
on April 19 (April 20, local Kazakhstan time) after finishing his mission aboard the ISS. He was joined by Roscosmos cosmonauts Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner. The return was symbolic since it occurred on Pettit's birthday, which was April 20 and he was also turning 70.
Pettit's successful space flight, coupled with the celebration of his landmark, is the outstanding record of an experienced astronaut who has spent close to six months working in outer space. For this mission, Pettit flew on Expeditions 71 and 72 as a flight engineer. For this mission, he spent a total of 220 days in space, bringing his career total to 590 days in space on four spaceflights. Pettit is one of the most seasoned astronauts in NASA history with keen interest in the development of space science and technology.
Don Pettit's notable contributions
During his mission, Pettit and other astronauts completed 3,520 orbits around the Earth, the distance of 93 million miles. The long travel was an indication of the complexity and scale of traveling in space and the continuous utilisation of the ISS towards facilitating global scientific research.
During their venture, Pettit and his crew saw six visiting spacecraft come and seven depart, resupplying the space station with necessary supplies, equipment, and crew exchanges. Exchanges of this nature are crucial in maintaining the station operational and facilitating the research being carried out onboard.
Throughout his stay on the ISS, Don Pettit helped develop some of the most vital technologies and science. Some of his most notable contributions were attempts to advance on-orbit metal 3D printing, a leading-edge technology and one with the potential to have a phenomenal impact on missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond in the future. He also developed water sanitisation technologies to provide astronauts with clean water for long-duration missions. The research has broader implications, such as remote areas on Earth with no access to clean water.
Pettit's research also included monitoring for the effect of space on biological processes. He cultivated plants under conditions of differing water, which could tell us about supporting life on long-duration spaceflight. Pettit also studied the conduct of fire in microgravity, which has serious safety concerns for any future spaceflight to occur.
These tests are essential to pursue human space travel because they involve addressing the long-duration space home residency challenges directly. Aside from his scientific endeavours, Pettit was also successful in capturing the beauty of space. He snapped more than 670,000 photos during his mission, the majority of which he posted on his X (formerly Twitter) account for all to see. His images provided an amazing glimpse into life aboard the ISS, ranging from breathtaking vistas of the Earth to the day-to-day operations of the space station.
Pettit's photographs are now a photographic history of his mission, and they enable people to see for themselves the shock and awe of space travel. His commitment to sharing these photographs is evidence of his willingness to open up the imagination of those who will follow him.
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