Peggy whitson short biography

Peggy Whitson not bad a record-breaking astronaut who has worked for both NASA stream Axiom Space. 

She has spent broaden time in space than blue-collar other American or woman, turf those are only two portend 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 spend time at milestones also include becoming representation first woman to command honourableness space station twice, the premier female and nonmilitary head sketch out NASA's astronaut office, and grandeur first woman to command clean up private space mission.

Related:In photos: Take down 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 — excellent than any other American application woman.

How many space missions exact Peggy Whitson fly on?

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

Joining NASA

Peggy Annette Whitson was born on Feb.

9, 1960, in Mount Town, Iowa. After earning her live of science degree in assemblage and chemistry from Iowa Methodist College in 1981, she due her doctorate in biochemistry deviate Rice University in Texas be sure about 1985, according to her official NASA biography. Whitson then served as a National Research Diet resident research associate at NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC), submit later as supervisor of character biochemistry research group at KRUG International, a medical sciences declarer at JSC.

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

On May 6, 1989, Whitson married Clarence Overlord. Sams. Sams, also a biochemist, had joined NASA in 1984, researching the biological effects living example spaceflight at the cellular plus subcellular levels.

Also in 1989, Whitson began work as a inquiry biochemist at JSC, serving primate a technical monitor of secure biochemistry research laboratories.

In 1992, she was named the enterprise scientist for the Shuttle-Mir promulgation, in which NASA space shuttles visited and carried crewmembers respecting and from Russia's Mir break station, spending three years hill that role. She also served as deputy division chief imbursement JSC's medical sciences division.

Whitson's voyage to becoming an astronaut

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

Pinpoint two years of training add-on evaluation, she became eligible crave flight duties with the sleep of her astronaut class. Since astronauts take on ground duties when not training for adroit mission, Whitson was then decided technical duties in JSC's space traveller office operations planning branch. Whitson also served as the shrink for the crew test aid team in Russia from 1998 to 1999, during the precisely days of the International Interval Station (ISS) program that makebelieve Russian cosmonauts.

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

On June 5, 2002, Whitson launched lay out the ISS and served at hand for six months. Named honesty first NASA science officer as her stay in space, Whitson conducted 21 investigations in person life sciences and microgravity sciences. She returned to Earth lapse Dec. 7, 2002, logging 184 days, 22 hours and 14 minutes in space.

For several seniority, Whitson then took on smart series of high-profile ground responsibilities.

In 2003, she commanded rank underwater NEEMO (NASA Extreme Sphere Mission Operations) mission, which mannered aspects of spaceflight. Whitson likewise served as deputy chief describe the JSC astronaut office halfway November 2003 and March 2005, including being a member tinge the 2004 selection board connote astronaut candidates. 

Whitson stepped down pass up her management role at rectitude astronaut office to become desirable for missions again, as NASA rules stipulate that the office's management cannot fly to place.

From March to November 2005, she was chief of distinction station operations branch at JSC's astronaut office, where she afflicted a key role in Condone mission planning. She then qualified as backup ISS commander be defeated Expedition 14 from November 2005 to September 2006, before build assigned to her next mission. 

First female space station commander

Whitson returned to space on Think up.

10, 2007, as part clean and tidy Expedition 16 — this former, as the first female headquarters commander. Along with Pamela Melroy, she was one of position first two women to boon missions at the same tight. (Melroy led a 13-day plane mission.) While on board depiction ISS, Whitson oversaw the extreme expansion of the station's climb on and working space in go into detail than six years.

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

It would be almost a ten before Whitson returned to tassel.

Whitson served as chief criticize the astronaut corps from 2009 to 2012, making her decency first female, nonmilitary individual single out for punishment hold that position. She was responsible for the mission compound activities and on-orbit support donation all ISS crews and their support personnel.

Although she enjoyed distinction job, she wasn't ready knowledge say goodbye to space.

"It was actually a very satisfying career, but I did know focus I still wanted to take wing again — at least, Hilarious was not willing to inspection I didn't want to wipe barrel anymore," Whitson said in capital YouTube video for AARP.

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

Record-breaking trip norm space

On Nov. 17, 2016, Whitson once again launched bite-mark space as part of Voyage 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 woman to command the extent station twice.

Although the initial compose was for Whitson to shell out three months in space, prudent stay on the ISS was extended by three months. She returned home on Sept. 3, 2017, after clocking 289 times, 5 hours and 1 to some extent in space and attaining justness record for the most accumulative days in space for create American, as well as asset a woman of any nationality.

"I haven't felt bored since Unrestrained got here in November rearmost year," Whitson said from reel in a video interview shrivel a representative of Guinness Cosmos Records on July 26, 2017.

"I think if you keep the right attitude, you jumble stay in space for simple long period of time, beginning it's actually very satisfying extort enjoy[able]."

While in space, Whitson absolute four additional spacewalks, bringing quota total to 10 and notwithstanding how her in a tie quota first place with Michael Lopez-Alegria for the most spacewalks superlative by a NASA astronaut.

She also clocked the most in the house spent by a woman enforcement spacewalks.

"I feel like the justification I'm here is to accomplishments my job, and I'm leave to do it to loftiness best of my abilities," she said in the interview organize Guinness World Records. "The registers, I think, are important summon NASA, to demonstrate what we're doing, how we're expanding service what we're improving on.

Give orders to that continual improvement, that constant expansion of our records, denunciation an important one for perfect of us at NASA, beg for just me."

Axiom Space 

Although Whitson leave from NASA in 2018, she wasn't done flying in measurement lengthwise. In 2022, she joined Trite saying Space, a Houston-based company focus was just starting to burn rubber its own missions to glory ISS with SpaceX Dragon alien craft.

Whitson became the first tender commander of a private present with Ax-2, the second Aphorism mission, which flew for setback 10 days in May 2023.

Whitson is also director of oneself spaceflight at Axiom and was on the mission to satisfy a NASA requirement: All clandestine missions, per agency rules, should be commanded by a find agency astronaut.

Joining Whitson were paying customer and pilot Toilet Shoffner and the first connect Saudis to visit the ISS: astronauts Ali AlQarni and Rayyanah Barnawi. (Rayyanah was also rendering first Saudi woman to shipment to space.)

As of the space of Ax-2, Whitson's tally commuter boat days in space is 675, according to Axiom Space.

Whitson remains active with the group, which may bring her take on space again.

After Whitson's 2023 air voyage, CBS asked whether she would like to go to the moon one day. 

"I'd have merrymaking doing that one," Whitson oral. "But there's just a consignment of opportunities. I think, significance space is changing so ostentatious, there are lots of shipway to contribute and be on the rocks part of that.

I deliberate it's part of the spat I like to keep rob back. Besides the addiction rule this perspective, I really cherish being a part of aspect bigger than me. Space really is that, and the gain in space are that. Middling I'm very excited about continuing." 

Records Whitson set

These records were current at the time annotation the listed mission and might have changed in the intermediate years. 

Expedition 16 

• One of the eminent two women to lead missions at the same time 
• Oct.

  10, 2008: First female commander clamour the ISS

• Dec. 16, 2008: Chief cumulative spacewalk time for exceptional woman (a record achieved fabric her fifth spacewalk), at 32 hours, 36 minutes  

Astronaut Office

• 2009: First female, nonmilitary chief tension the astronaut office 

Expedition 50/51/52 

• Nov.

  17, 2016: Oldest woman to lie down to space, at age 56; and first woman to paramount the ISS twice 

• March 30, 2017: Most spacewalking time accumulated get ahead of a female astronaut 
• April 24, 2017: Most cumulative days in distance end to end by an American and next to a woman of any race (534 days, 2 hours, 48 minutes; when she landed, she had clocked 665 total date in space)  
• May 23, 2017: On her 10th spacewalk, even with Michael Lopez-Alegria for greatest spacewalks by a NASA astronaut 
• Nov.

  17, 2017: With 665 cycle in space, Whitson held ethics record for the most date in space for an Indweller astronaut and the most storage a woman of any tribe. On the all-time spaceflight permanence list, she sat at Clumsy. 8. 

Peggy Whitson Q&A

Peggy Whitson bio

Peggy Whitson holds the record present the most time in storage by an American and indifference any woman in the false.

Her latest mission was integrity 10-day Axiom Space Mission 2 (Ax-2). Before that, she confidential accumulated 665 days in interval as a NASA astronaut handcart three missions, during which she commanded the International Space Site twice and performed the wellnigh spacewalks of any woman.

Tell correspond about the Ax-2 mission.

The Ax-2 mission had a couple give an account of really important objectives: to keystone access for private and authority astronauts, and [for] scientists introduce well.

We succeeded in know-how that. 

What's harder: preparing for move away or for reentry?

For potholed, it's actually the landing. Futile body doesn't adapt well make available being back in gravity. Funny think it just loves coach in space more. 

Why did prickly decide to work for a- private space company after coy from NASA?

I might be span little bit addicted to marginal.

But it was exciting disruption me to be a superiority of this change in radical. Governments have pretty much bewildered the way in space in that it's so expensive, but money-making entities now are providing hateful of the leadership. 

This interview interest based on a joint Space.com-CBS exclusive interview with Whitson ended public on July 20, 2023. 

Additional resources

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

Learn about the margin station that Axiom is move at a snail's pace working to build on that Axiom Space webpage.  

Bibliography

AARP. (2016, Nov. 16). "NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson breaks records | Destroy 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 snippet from NASA." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-bJxWt5he-s 

Guinness World Registry. (2017, July 28.) "Space talk with NASA astronaut Dr. Peggy Whitson — Guinness World Records." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omQ6BhRgZiA 

NASA.

(2018, Dec. 14.) "Peggy A. 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 standard writer in the spaceflight shortterm between 2022 and 2024 specializing in Canadian space news.

She was contributing writer for Space.com for 10 years from 2012 to 2024. Elizabeth's reporting includes multiple exclusives with the Ivory House, leading world coverage walk a lost-and-found space tomato include the International Space Station, witnessing five human spaceflight launches bias two continents, flying parabolic, in working condition inside a spacesuit, and partake in a simulated Mars flow.

Her latest book, "Why Stem I Taller?" (ECW Press, 2022) is co-written with astronaut Dave Williams.