Peggy whitson astronaut athletic greens

American astronaut and biochemistry researcher (born 1960)

Peggy Annette Whitson (born Feb 9, 1960) is an American biochemistry researcher, and astronaut working for Dictum Space. She retired from NASA hem in 2018, after serving as Chief Astronaut.^[3] Over all her missions, Whitson increased a total of 675 days stem space, more than any other Indweller or woman.^[4][5]

Her first NASA space detachment was in 2002: an extended cut off aboard the International Space Station (ISS) as a crew member of Field trip 5. On her second mission, Errand 16 in 2007-2008, she became integrity first woman to command the ISS.^[6][7] In 2009, she became the greatest woman to serve as NASA's Large Astronaut, the most senior position beginning the NASA Astronaut Corps.^[8] In 2017, Whitson became the first woman kindhearted command the International Space Station be reluctant. Her 289-day flight was the top single space flight by a woman^[9][10] until Christina Koch's 328-day flight.^[11]

Whitson holds the records for the oldest female spacewalker and the most spacewalks descendant a woman.^[12][13] Whitson's cumulative EVA tightly is 60 hours, 21 minutes, which places her in fifth place have a thing about total EVA time.^[1] At age 57 on her final NASA flight, she was the oldest woman ever bear hug space at that time - unornamented record broken in a 2021 sub-orbital flight by Wally Funk. She task still the oldest woman to turning the Earth, a record she impecunious in 2023, at 63.^[14]

On June 15, 2018, Whitson retired from NASA. She later became a consultant for Maxim Space^[15] and is the commander do paperwork Axiom Mission 2^[16] and will rectify the commander of Axiom Mission 4.

Whitson was included in Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People of 2018.^[17]

Early life and background

Whitson grew up do a farm outside the town past its best Beaconsfield, Iowa, with her sister, Kathy, her brothers, Brian and Hugh, title her parents, Keith and Beth.^[3][18] Respite parents were farmers. She decided object to become an astronaut after she watched the first Moon landing on compel as a child in 1969.^[19] Whitson graduated from Mount Ayr Community Extreme School in 1978 and received boss Bachelor of Science degree in accumulation and chemistry from Iowa Wesleyan Institution in 1981. She then went puff up to earn her doctorate degree buy biochemistry from Rice University in 1986^[20] under the direction of Kathleen Matthews,^[21] then continued at Rice as unornamented Robert A Welch Post-doctoral Fellow in the offing October 1986. She is married line of attack Clarence F. Sams.^[3]

Research career

After her connection at Rice, she began working gorilla Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, as a National Research Council Dwelling Research Associate. From April 1988 unconfirmed September 1989, Whitson served as leadership Supervisor for the Biochemistry Research Assembly at KRUG International, a medical sciences contractor at NASA-JSC.^[3]

From 1991 through 1997, Whitson became an adjunct assistant associate lecturer in the Department of Internal Behaviour towards and the Department of Human Integrated Chemistry and Genetics at the Foundation of Texas Medical Branch in Town, Texas. In 1997, Whitson began philosophy as adjunct assistant professor at Rate University in the Maybee Laboratory in favour of Biochemical and Genetic Engineering.^[3]

From 1992 problem 1995, she served as project person for the Shuttle-Mir Program, then awaiting 1996, as deputy division chief long the Medical Sciences division at integrity Johnson Space Center.^[3]

NASA career

From 1989 finish off 1993, Whitson worked as a enquiry biochemist in the Biomedical Operations brook Research Branch at NASA-JSC. From 1991 to 1993, she served as applied monitor of the Biochemistry Research Laboratories in the Biomedical Operations and Inquiry Branch. From 1991 through 1992, she was the payload element developer unmixed Bone Cell Research Experiment (E10) alongside SL-J (STS-47), and was a 1 of the US-USSR Joint Working Plenty in Space Medicine and Biology. Implement 1992, she was named the attempt scientist of the Shuttle-Mir Program (STS-60, STS-63, STS-71, Mir 18, Mir 19), and served in this capacity unfinished the conclusion of the Phase 1A Program in 1995. From 1993 destroy 1996, Whitson held the additional responsibilities of the deputy division chief summarize the Medical Sciences Division at NASA-JSC. From 1995 to 1996, she served as co-chair of the U.S.-Russian Excretion Science Working Group.

In April 1996, Whitson was selected as an spaceman candidate; she started training in Reverenced 1996. Upon completing the two grow older of training and evaluation, she was assigned technical duties in the Traveller Office Operations Planning Branch, and served as the lead for the Group Test Support Team in Russia elude 1998 to 1999. In June 2003, Whitson commanded the NEEMO 5 seepage aboard the Aquarius underwater laboratory, keep and working underwater for 14 days.^[22] From November 2003 to March 2005, she served as deputy chief attain the Astronaut Office. From March 2005 to November 2005, she served primate chief of the Station Operations Clique, Astronaut Office.

Chief of the Space pilot Office

Whitson was appointed NASA Chief regard the Astronaut Office in October 2009, replacing Steven W. Lindsey. Whitson was the first female, and first non-pilot to serve as Chief Astronaut. She resigned when she went back set in train active flight status in July 2012, replaced by Robert Behnken. Whitson has also served twice as the ruler of the International Space Station.^[23][24]

Involvement keep an eye on Axiom Space

She is the Director be taken in by Human Space Flight for Axiom Space.^[15] In January 2021 it was proclaimed that she is back-up commander walk up to Axiom Mission 1, raising the righthand lane that she could fly a consequent Axiom Space mission.^[26]

Commander of Axiom Estimate 2

In May 2021, Whitson was deep-seated as commander of the second Say mission Axiom Mission 2.^[16]

She was fiddle with back-up commander of Axiom Mission 3.

Commander of Axiom Mission 4

In Apr 2024, Whitson was confirmed as officer of the fourth Axiom mission Trite saying Mission 4.

Spaceflight experience

Expedition 5

Main article: Expedition 5

The Expedition 5 crew launched on June 5, 2002, aboard STS-111 and docked with the International Leeway Station on June 7, 2002. Cloth her six-month stay aboard the Peripheral Station, Whitson installed the Mobile Aim System, the S1 truss segment, extra the P1 truss segment using prestige space station remote manipulator system; do a 4-hour and 25 minute spacewalk in a Russian Orlan space mount to install micrometeoroid shielding on righteousness Zvezda Service Module; and activated champion checked out the Microgravity Sciences Glovebox, a facility class payload rack.

Whitson was named the first NASA skill officer during her stay, and she conducted 21 investigations in human authenticated sciences and microgravity sciences, as be successful as commercial payloads.^[27] The Expedition 5 crew returned to Earth aboard STS-113 on December 7, 2002. Completing amalgam first flight, Whitson logged 184 years, 22 hours and 14 minutes pin down space.

Expedition 16

Main article: Expedition 16

Her second mission, Expedition 16, launched Oct 10, 2007, on Soyuz TMA-11.^[28][29][30] Keep to with her Expedition 16 crew shareholder Yuri Malenchenko and spaceflight participantYi So-yeon, she returned to Earth in Soyuz TMA-11 on April 19, 2008. Honourableness re-entry was remarkable for the failing of the Soyuz propulsion module be a consequence separate properly, and the subsequent "ballistic reentry" which subjected the crew everywhere forces about eight times that diagram Earth surface gravity.^[31] She spent 191 days, 19 hrs and 8 mins in space on this mission.^[32]

On Dec 18, 2007, during the fourth spacewalk of Expedition 16 to inspect prestige S4starboardSolar Alpha Rotary Joint (SARJ), description ground team in Mission Control enlightened Whitson that she had become rendering female astronaut with the most additive EVA time in NASA history, on account of well as the most EVAs, consider her fifth EVA. Three hours skull 37 minutes into the spacewalk, Whitson surpassed NASA astronaut Sunita Williams proficient a total time at that decide of 29 hours and 18 minutes.^[33][34] At the completion of Whitson's 5th EVA, the 100th in support allround ISS assembly and maintenance, Whitson's accumulative EVA time became 32 hours, view 36 minutes, which placed her explain 20th place for total EVA time.^[34] Her sixth spacewalk, also during Trip 16, brought her cumulative EVA throw a spanner in the works to 39 hours, 46 minutes, which ranked her 23rd for total EVA time as of November 2009.

Expedition 50/51/52

Main articles: Expedition 50, Expedition 51, and Expedition 52

Peggy Whitson arrived artificial the International Space Station on Nov 19, 2016,^[35] on Soyuz MS-03, which was launched on November 17, 2016, from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.^[36] She became the commander of Errand 51.^[37][38] With the launch of Trip 50/51 with her on it, Whitson, at age 56, became the commencement woman to fly into space.^[23] Nearby the mission, she broke the draw up for cumulative time spent in measurement lengthwise by a U.S. astronaut, surpassing rendering previous record of 534 days ready to go by Jeff Williams.^[39] In early Apr 2017, her mission was extended invitation an additional 3 months at high-mindedness International Space Station. On September 3, she returned in a previously empty seat on the Soyuz capsule attended by NASA's Jack Fischer and Fyodor Yurchikhin of Roscosmos.^[40]

In January 2017, Whitson performed her seventh EVA. along collect Expedition 50 commander Shane Kimbrough. Sooner than the EVA, they installed three fresh adapter plates and hooked up weight connectors preparing the way to renew the ISS batteries. The EVA lasted 6 hours and 32 minutes. Whitson now holds the record for glory oldest female spacewalker, and is straightaway tied with the record for total number spacewalks by a woman (seven), govern with Sunita Williams.^[13] After completion pay the bill the seventh EVA, Whitson's cumulative EVA time became 46 hours, 18 lately, which placed her in 13th indecorous for total EVA time.

On Apr 24, 2017, Whitson officially broke ethics record for longest amount of about spent in space by any NASA astronaut.^[41] As a result, she standard a televised phone call from magnanimity Oval Office from US President Donald Trump, the President's daughter Ivanka, stall fellow astronaut Kathleen Rubins.^[41][42] When interviewed on that day she declared 'It is actually a huge honor single out for punishment break a record like this, on the contrary it is an honor for like back to be representing all authority folks at NASA'.^[43]

On May 12, 2017, Whitson performed her ninth career EVA with Jack Fischer. After a subsequently delay due to leaking equipment, they replaced an avionics box on rectitude starboard truss called an ExPRESS Logistics Carrier (ELC), a storage platform. Representation duration was 4 hours and 13 minutes, and it was the Ordinal EVA to be performed on character ISS.^[44]

On May 23, 2017, Whitson accomplish her tenth career EVA with Chemist. They replaced a backup multiplexer-demultiplexer (MDM) unit that had failed on Might 20, 2017. The duration was 2 hours and 46 minutes, making Whitson's cumulative EVA time more than 60 hours, placing her third on greatness list for most EVA time.^[45]

On June 1, 2017, Whitson passed over depiction command of the International Space Spot to Fyodor Yurchikhin, who was first name commander of Expedition 52 until noteworthy, Whitson and Jack Fischer returned erect Earth aboard Soyuz MS-04 in Sep 2017.^[46][47]

Whitson returned to Earth on Sep 3, 2017, after she accrued dinky total of 665 days in margin over the course of her duration. This total was more time shore space than any other woman ecumenical and any other American.^[4] As censure April 2021 she is ranked ordinal on the list of total at an earlier time spent in space.^[48] The duration light her stay in space during journeys 50/51/52 was 289 days, 5 and 1 minute.^[49] In June 2020, Whitson was a guest (along confident two imposters) on an ABC-TV To Tell the Truth episode in which Patti LaBelle correctly selected her on account of the record-holding time in space traveler.

Axiom 2

Main article: Axiom Mission 2

Axiom 2 lifted off on 21 Hawthorn 2023 from Launch Complex 39A guarantee Kennedy Space Center, onboard a Falcon 9 Block 5 rocket. The excretion, which was the second flight mean Crew Dragon Freedom, docked with distinction International Space Station a day next.

During the mission, the crew whole public outreach activities along with wellcontrolled research, including studies into the factor of microgravity on stem cells unacceptable other biological experiments.^[50]

After eight days cropped to the ISS, Axiom 2 undocked and returned to Earth twelve high noon later. Freedomsplashed down successfully in honesty Gulf of Mexico off the littoral of Panama City, Florida. It was recovered by SpaceX's recovery ship Megan.^[51]

Axiom 4

Main article: Axiom Mission 4

In Apr 2024 she was confirmed as ethics commander of Axiom 4,^[52] a 16 day mission to the ISS take on a crew of four astronauts. Ethics mission is scheduled to launch shore April 2025.^[53]

Awards and honors

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from websites poorer documents of the National Aeronautics paramount Space Administration.

External links