Peggy Whitson
| Peggy Annette Whitson | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| NASA Astronaut | |
| Nationality | American |
| Status | Active |
| Born |
February 9, 1960 Mount Ayr, Iowa, U.S. |
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Other occupation
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Biochemist |
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Iowa Wesleyan College Rice University |
|
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Time in space
|
Currently in space |
| Selection | 1996 NASA Group |
|
Total EVAs
|
7 |
|
Total EVA time
|
46 hours, 18 minutes |
| Missions | STS-111, Expedition 5, STS-113, Soyuz TMA-11 (Expedition 16), Soyuz MS-03 (Expedition 50/Expedition 51) |
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Mission insignia
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Peggy Annette Whitson (born February 9, 1960) is an American biochemistry researcher, NASA astronaut, and former NASA Chief Astronaut. Her first space mission was in 2002, with an extended stay aboard the International Space Station as a member of Expedition 5. Her second mission launched October 10, 2007, as the first female commander of the ISS with Expedition 16. With her two long-duration stays aboard the ISS, Whitson is NASA's most experienced female astronaut, with just over 376 days in space. This also places her twenty-ninth among all space flyers. She is now in space as part of the crew of Expedition 50.
The flight of Space Shuttle mission STS-120, commanded by astronaut Pam Melroy, was the first time that two female mission commanders have been in orbit at the same time. After completion of her seventh EVA in January 2017, Whitson now holds the record for the oldest female spacewalker, and is now tied with the record for total spacewalks by a woman (seven), along with Sunita Williams. Whitson's cumulative EVA time is 46 hours, 18 minutes, which placed her in 14th place for total EVA time.
Whitson was born in Mount Ayr, Iowa, and grew up on a farm outside the nearby town of Beaconsfield, Iowa. Whitson graduated from Mount Ayr Community High School in 1978 and received a bachelor of science degree in biology and chemistry from Iowa Wesleyan College in 1981. She then went on to earn her doctorate degree in biochemistry from Rice University in 1985, and following completion of her graduate work, continued at Rice as a Robert A Welch Post-doctoral Fellow until October 1986. She is married to Clarence F. Sams, Ph.D.
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