Questions Wanted: What Would You Ask ISS Astronaut Don Pettit?

NASA astronaut and International Space Station flight engineer Don Pettit demonstrates microgravity using characters from "Angry Birds." CREDIT: NASA View full size image

If you have ever wondered what it's like to spend more than half a year living in space, you have the chance to ask an astronaut who recently returned from more than six months aboard the International Space Station.

NASA astronaut Don Pettit will hold live satellite interviews Thursday morning (July 12), and SPACE.com will have the chance to speak him. That's where you come in. What questions do you have for the veteran spaceflyer?

SPACE.com staff writer Denise Chow will interview Pettit at 7:40 a.m. EDT (1140 GMT) live on NASA Television. If you have a question you'd like to ask, you can submit it in the comments section of this article. Be sure to also include your name and your location, and we'll try to accommodate as many questions as we can.

NASA's webcast of the SPACE.com interview will be available here Thursday morning: http://www.nasa.gov/ntv

Pettit is currently re-adjusting to life on Earth, after returning home on July 1 from a months-long mission at the space station. Pettit and his crewmates, Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko and Dutch astronaut Andre Kuipers, landed in their Russian-built Soyuz capsule on the steppes of Kazakhstan in Central Asia nearly two weeks ago.

Pettit, Kononenko and Kuipers were members of the station's Expedition 30 and 31 crews during their time in space. The astronauts spent most of their time in orbit performing science experiments, such as investigating how plants grow and how fire burns in the microgravity environment.

Pettit and Kuipers were also actively engaged in public outreach and social media. The station astronauts shared their experiences of living in orbit through blog posts and photos on Flickr and Twitter. [Photos: Exquisite Star Trails Captured by Astronaut Don Pettit]

During his time on the station, Pettit wrote poems about spaceflight, blogged as a zucchini plant he was growing, and shared stunning photos with the public, including fascinating views of Earth, star trails and the historic transit of Venus.

Pettit, 57, spent 193 days in space as part of the space station's Expedition 30 and 31 crews, which marked his third spaceflight. He previously completed a long-duration mission at the station in 2003 and a space shuttle mission in 2008. To date, Pettit has logged 370 days in space, which ranks him fourth among U.S. astronauts for time spent in orbit. Pettit also previously completed two spacewalks.

So, what questions do you have for Don Pettit? Let us know!

Quiz: The Reality of Life in Orbit

As an any astronaut will tell you, life in space is a lot like life on Earth—with some very important differences. On Earth, for example, if you leave your fork floating in air while you grab for your spoon, it will quickly hit the floor. Other difference

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Quiz: The Reality of Life in Orbit

As an any astronaut will tell you, life in space is a lot like life on Earth—with some very important differences. On Earth, for example, if you leave your fork floating in air while you grab for your spoon, it will quickly hit the floor. Other difference

0 of questions complete

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