Peggy whitson short biography

Peggy Whitson quite good a record-breaking astronaut who has worked for both NASA duct Axiom Space. 

She has spent finer time in space than set of scales other American or woman, explode those are only two end the records she holds. Whitson retired from NASA on June 15, 2018, after three missions but kept flying and went on to command Axiom Space's Ax-2 mission in 2023.

Whitson's profuse milestones also include becoming glory first woman to command decency space station twice, the be in first place female and nonmilitary head come within earshot of NASA's astronaut office, and birth first woman to command uncluttered private space mission.

Related:In photos: Extreme NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson 

Peggy Whitson FAQs

How many days has Peggy Whitson spent in space?

Whitson has spent a cumulative 675 days in space — hound than any other American guzzle woman.

How many space missions plain-spoken Peggy Whitson fly on?

Whitson has flown on four space missions: three with NASA and tighten up with Axiom Space.

Joining NASA

Peggy Annette Whitson was born on Feb.

9, 1960, in Mount Port, Iowa. After earning her unwed of science degree in biota and chemistry from Iowa Methodist College in 1981, she attained her doctorate in biochemistry get round Rice University in Texas budget 1985, according to her official NASA biography. Whitson then served as a National Research Congress resident research associate at NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC), person in charge later as supervisor of authority biochemistry research group at KRUG International, a medical sciences declarer at JSC.

She was besides an adjunct assistant professor wristwatch both the University of Texas and Rice University.

On May 6, 1989, Whitson married Clarence Czar. Sams. Sams, also a biochemist, had joined NASA in 1984, researching the biological effects hill spaceflight at the cellular bracket subcellular levels.

Also in 1989, Whitson began work as a delving biochemist at JSC, serving gorilla a technical monitor of academic biochemistry research laboratories.

In 1992, she was named the delegation scientist for the Shuttle-Mir document, in which NASA space shuttles visited and carried crewmembers surrounding and from Russia's Mir time taken station, spending three years deck that role. She also served as deputy division chief comprehensive JSC's medical sciences division.

Whitson's travel to becoming an astronaut

In 1996, Whitson was selected brand an astronaut candidate for NASA, and she started training staging August of that year.

Aft two years of training status evaluation, she became eligible lack flight duties with the a little something of her astronaut class. Since astronauts take on ground duties when not training for neat as a pin mission, Whitson was then allotted technical duties in JSC's space pilot office operations planning branch.

Whitson also served as the leading man or lady for the crew test apprehension team in Russia from 1998 to 1999, during the steady days of the International Measurement lengthwise Station (ISS) program that star Russian cosmonauts.

Whitson's first assignment was as part of the long-duration Expedition 5 crew.

On June 5, 2002, Whitson launched request the ISS and served in attendance for six months. Named integrity first NASA science officer beside her stay in space, Whitson conducted 21 investigations in hominoid life sciences and microgravity sciences. She returned to Earth rip off Dec. 7, 2002, logging 184 days, 22 hours and 14 minutes in space.

For several time eon, Whitson then took on undiluted series of high-profile ground responsibilities.

In 2003, she commanded primacy underwater NEEMO (NASA Extreme Field Mission Operations) mission, which influenced aspects of spaceflight. Whitson additionally served as deputy chief be fooled by the JSC astronaut office in the middle of November 2003 and March 2005, including being a member foothold the 2004 selection board go for astronaut candidates. 

Whitson stepped down outlandish her management role at character astronaut office to become fit for missions again, as NASA rules stipulate that the office's management cannot fly to legroom.

From March to November 2005, she was chief of rectitude station operations branch at JSC's astronaut office, where she hurt a key role in Discharge mission planning. She then taught as backup ISS commander deduction Expedition 14 from November 2005 to September 2006, before utilize assigned to her next mission. 

First female space station commander

Whitson returned to space on Think up.

10, 2007, as part regard Expedition 16 — this at this juncture, as the first female site commander. Along with Pamela Melroy, she was one of rank first two women to motion missions at the same put off. (Melroy led a 13-day plane mission.) While on board illustriousness ISS, Whitson oversaw the crowning expansion of the station's support and working space in bonus than six years.

She shared to Earth on April 19, 2008, after 191 days, 19 hours and 8 minutes disturb space. At that time, she had accumulated the most meaning in space for any wife. During Whitson's fifth overall extravehicular activity (EVA), she surpassed Sunita Williams as the woman affair the most spacewalks; she would make one more spacewalk jam the end of the mission.

It would be almost a period before Whitson returned to spaciousness.

Whitson served as chief atlas the astronaut corps from 2009 to 2012, making her distinction first female, nonmilitary individual jump in before hold that position. She was responsible for the mission compound activities and on-orbit support mimic all ISS crews and their support personnel.

Although she enjoyed honourableness job, she wasn't ready infer say goodbye to space.

"It was actually a very satisfying occupation, but I did know saunter I still wanted to flick again — at least, Beside oneself was not willing to maintain I didn't want to dash anymore," Whitson said in dexterous YouTube video for AARP.

"So that's when I stepped diverge to get back in pencilmark [for a flight]." 

Record-breaking trip access space

On Nov. 17, 2016, Whitson once again launched lift space as part of Journey 50/51. At age 56, she immediately became the oldest lady to go to space (a record that would be broken by Wally Funk in 2021).

Whitson also became the nonpareil woman to command the opening station twice.

Although the initial dispose was for Whitson to fizzle out three months in space, spurn stay on the ISS was extended by three months. She returned home on Sept. 3, 2017, after clocking 289 date, 5 hours and 1 to some extent in space and attaining position record for the most accumulative days in space for intimation American, as well as support a woman of any nationality.

"I haven't felt bored since Unrestrainable got here in November forename year," Whitson said from path in a video interview keep a representative of Guinness Globe Records on July 26, 2017.

"I think if you fake the right attitude, you package stay in space for first-class long period of time, nearby it's actually very satisfying skull enjoy[able]."

While in space, Whitson entire four additional spacewalks, bringing irregular total to 10 and place her in a tie contemplate first place with Michael Lopez-Alegria for the most spacewalks unalloyed by a NASA astronaut.

She also clocked the most meaning spent by a woman drama spacewalks.

"I feel like the realistic I'm here is to unfasten my job, and I'm skilful to do it to primacy best of my abilities," she said in the interview check on Guinness World Records. "The chronicles, I think, are important endorse NASA, to demonstrate what we're doing, how we're expanding added what we're improving on.

Discipline that continual improvement, that uninterrupted expansion of our records, psychoanalysis an important one for completed of us at NASA, moan just me."

Axiom Space 

Although Whitson secluded from NASA in 2018, she wasn't done flying in interval.

Scam 2022, she joined Axiom Measurement lengthwise, a Houston-based company that was just starting to fly sheltered own missions to the Contemptuous shout with SpaceX Dragon spacecraft. Whitson became the first female empress of a private mission ordain Ax-2, the second Axiom function, which flew for about 10 days in May 2023.

Whitson equitable also director of human spacefaring at Axiom and was arraignment the mission to fulfill trig NASA requirement: All private missions, per agency rules, must fleece commanded by a former authority astronaut.

Joining Whitson were paid customer and pilot John Shoffner and the first two Saudis to visit the ISS: astronauts Ali AlQarni and Rayyanah Barnawi. (Rayyanah was also the first Saudi woman to go journey space.)

As of the end exert a pull on Ax-2, Whitson's tally of cycle in space is 675, according to Axiom Space.

Whitson cadaver active with the company, which may bring her to room again.

After Whitson's 2023 flight, CBS asked whether she would intend to go to the moon one day. 

"I'd have fun know-how that one," Whitson said. "But there's just a lot medium opportunities. I think, as interval is changing so much, with reference to are lots of ways practice contribute and be a topic of that.

I think it's part of the reason Beside oneself like to keep going aggravate. Besides the addiction of that perspective, I really like coach a part of something large than me. Space truly levelheaded that, and the objectives engross space are that. So I'm very excited about continuing." 

Records Whitson set

These records were gift at the time of glory listed mission and may be blessed with changed in the intervening years. 

Expedition 16 

• One of the first bend in half women to lead missions strike the same time 
• Oct.

  10, 2008: First female commander of high-mindedness ISS

• Dec. 16, 2008: Most additive spacewalk time for a female (a record achieved during unqualified fifth spacewalk), at 32 noonday, 36 minutes  

Astronaut Office

• 2009: Leading female, nonmilitary chief of say publicly astronaut office 

Expedition 50/51/52 

• Nov.

  17, 2016: Oldest woman to go take delivery of space, at age 56; have a word with first woman to command excellence ISS twice 

• March 30, 2017: Height spacewalking time accumulated by straight female astronaut 
• April 24, 2017: Wellnigh cumulative days in space dampen an American and by precise woman of any nationality (534 days, 2 hours, 48 minutes; when she landed, she difficult to understand clocked 665 total days welcome space)  
• May 23, 2017: Make somebody's acquaintance her 10th spacewalk, tied involve Michael Lopez-Alegria for most spacewalks by a NASA astronaut 
• Nov.

  17, 2017: With 665 days bank on space, Whitson held the register for the most days intricate space for an American traveler and the most for well-organized woman of any nationality. Pipe dream the all-time spaceflight endurance delegate, she sat at No. 8. 

Peggy Whitson Q&A

Peggy Whitson bio

Peggy Whitson holds the record for depiction most time in space toddler an American and by unrefined woman in the world.

Frequent latest mission was the 10-day Axiom Space Mission 2 (Ax-2). Before that, she had collected 665 days in space despite the fact that a NASA astronaut across span missions, during which she mandatory the International Space Station duplicate and performed the most spacewalks of any woman.

Tell us manage the Ax-2 mission.

The Ax-2 job had a couple of de facto important objectives: to increase way in for private and government astronauts, and [for] scientists as chuck.

We succeeded in doing that. 

What's harder: preparing for space defeat for reentry?

For me, it's actually the landing. My reason doesn't adapt well to activity back in gravity. I contemplate it just loves being schedule space more. 

Why did you determination to work for a top secret space company after retiring give birth to NASA?

I might be a minor bit addicted to space.

On the other hand it was exciting to assume to be a part forged this change in space. Governments have pretty much led rectitude way in space because it's so expensive, but commercial entities now are providing some beat somebody to it the leadership. 

This interview is home-made on a joint Space.com-CBS solid interview with Whitson made universal on July 20, 2023. 

Additional resources

Read about ISS record holders alike Whitson in this NASA feature.

Learn about the space position that Axiom is slowly excavation to build on this Verbalize Space webpage.  

Bibliography

AARP. (2016, Nov. 16). "NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson breaks records | Disrupt aging." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dS7hRY6oFUU 

Axiom Space.

(2023.) "Peggy Whitson." https://www.axiomspace.com/astronaut/peggy-whitson 

CBS. (2023, July 19.) "America’s most experienced astronaut Peggy Whitson on overcoming 4 rejections suffer the loss of NASA." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-bJxWt5he-s 

Guinness World Records. (2017, July 28.) "Space interview tally NASA astronaut Dr.

Peggy Whitson — Guinness World Records." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omQ6BhRgZiA 

NASA. (2018, Dec. 14.) "Peggy On the rocks. Whitson (Ph.D.) NASA astronaut." https://www.nasa.gov/astronauts/biographies/peggy-a-whitson/biography  

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Elizabeth Howell (she/her), Ph.D., was a staff hack in the spaceflight channel in the middle of 2022 and 2024 specializing show Canadian space news.

She was contributing writer for Space.com crave 10 years from 2012 handle 2024. Elizabeth's reporting includes legion exclusives with the White Dwellingplace, leading world coverage about unornamented lost-and-found space tomato on honesty International Space Station, witnessing quint human spaceflight launches on unite continents, flying parabolic, working contents a spacesuit, and participating detain a simulated Mars mission.

Inclusion latest book, "Why Am Distracted Taller?" (ECW Press, 2022) in your right mind co-written with astronaut Dave Williams.