At 11:51 a.m. EDT, Peggy Whitson broke the record for cumulative spacewalking time by a female astronaut, previously held by NASA astronaut Sunita Williams. Flight engineer Peggy Whitson installing new adapter plates and hooking up electrical connections on the International Space Station, 2017. Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. Peggy Annette Whitson (Mount Ayr, 9 febbraio 1960) è un'ex astronauta statunitense.. Whitson è nata nello stato dell'Iowa ed è sposata con Clarence Sams. 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. The 58-year-old biochemist has logged more time in … Peggy Annette Whitsonová (* 9. února 1960 v Mount Ayr, Iowa, USA) je americká biochemička, od května 1996 astronautka NASA.Má za sebou již tři půlroční lety na Mezinárodní vesmírnou stanici, zatím posledním letem byla Expedice 52, která skončila přistáním 3. září 2017.V kosmu strávila necelých 666 dní, se kterými drží americký rekord. In 1986 she moved to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA’s) Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston as a research associate and later worked as the supervisor for the Biochemistry Research Group at KRUG International, a NASA medical sciences contractor at the JSC. Three hours and 37 minutes into the spacewalk, Whitson surpassed NASA astronaut Sunita Williams with a total time at that point of 29 hours and 18 minutes. Whitson retired from NASA in 2018. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Peggy Annette Whitson (born February 9, 1960) is an American biochemistry researcher, NASA astronaut,[1] and former NASA Chief Astronaut. The first female commander of the ISS, Whitson supervised and directed a significant expansion of the living and working space on the ISS, including the installation of components made by European, Japanese, and Canadian space agencies. In April 1996, Whitson was selected as an astronaut candidate and started training in August 1996. What exactly is a quasar? This was a year after Britain’s Helen Sharman had been a scientist on the Mir space station . Peggy Whitson est une chercheuse en biochimie américaine et astronaute de la NASA, née le 9 février 1960 à Mount Ayr (Iowa). National Aeronautics and Space Administration Wiki is a FANDOM Lifestyle Community. She has been selected for the crew of Expedition 50. Peggy Whitson joined NASA as an astronaut candidate in 1996, but she had already done plenty of work with NASA. From 1991 through 1992, she was the payload element developer for Bone Cell Research Experiment (E10) aboard SL-J (STS-47), and was a member of the US-USSR Joint Working Group in Space Medicine and Biology. In 1989, Peggy Whitson began her career at NASA as a Research Biochemist and in 1991 she became a member of the U.S. – USSR Joint Working Group. She was the NASA Chief Astronaut from 2009 until 2012. Doctorate in Biochemistry, NASA astronaut, 1st female Space Station Commander. Completing her first flight, Whitson logged 184 days, 22 hours and 14 minutes in space. Proud to share my NASA … From 2009 to 2012, Whitson was chief of the Astronaut Office, which oversees all NASA astronaut activities, including crew selection and training.