Quick Info
| Profession | Astronaut, Biochemist |
|---|---|
| Nationality | American |
| Date of Birth | 09/02/1960 |
| Age | 66 years |
| Birthplace | Mount Ayr, Iowa, U.S. |
Latest News about Peggy Whitson
28/09/2025
Peggy Whitson served as Commander of Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4), launching to the International Space Station in April 2025 and returning in September 2025. At age 65, she became the oldest woman to orbit the Earth, surpassing her previous record set in 2017 when she was 57.
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Bio/Wiki
| Real Name | Peggy Annette Whitson |
|---|---|
| Nickname | Not Known |
Physical Stats & More
| Height | 163 cm |
|---|---|
| Eye Color | Dark Brown |
| Hair Color | Brown |
Educational Qualification(s)
| School | Mount Ayr Community High School |
|---|---|
| College/University | Iowa Wesleyan College, Mount Pleasant, Iowa, United States; Rice University, Houston, Texas, United States |
| Qualifications |
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Personal Life
| Zodiac sign/Sun sign | Aquarius |
|---|
Family
| Father | Keith Whitson |
|---|---|
| Mother | Beth Whitson |
| Spouse | Clarence F. Sams |
| Religion | Not Known |
Career
| NASA Missions |
|
|---|---|
| Combined Time Spent in Space | 665 days 22 hours 23 minutes |
| Retirement from NASA | June 2018 |
| Current Position | Commander, Axiom Space (Ax-2 and Ax-4 missions) |
| Axiom Mission | Ax-2 (Commander, first female commander of a private spaceflight, May 2023) |
| Early NASA Career | Research Associate at NASA Johnson Space Center (1986); Research Biochemist, Biomedical Operations and Research Branch (1989-1993); Technical Monitor, Biochemistry Research Laboratories (1991-1993); Project Scientist, Shuttle-Mir Program (1992-1995); Deputy Division Chief, Medical Sciences Division (1993-1996); Co-Chair, U.S.-Russian Mission Science Working Group (1995-1996); NASA's First ISS Science Officer (2002); Chief of the Astronaut Office (October 2009 - 2012) |
| Spacewalks | 10 spacewalks totaling 60 hours and 21 minutes |
| Axiom Missions |
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| ISS Commander | Expedition 16 (2007-2008) and Expedition 51 (2017) - First woman to command the ISS; only woman to serve as ISS commander twice |
Some Lesser Known Facts
| 1. She started working at the University she graduated from as a Robert A Welch Postdoctoral Fellow in 1985. | |
| 2. In 1992, she became the project scientist of the Shuttle-Mir Program (STS-60, STS-63, STS-71, Mir 18, Mir 19) until 1995. | |
| 3. Whitson became an astronaut candidate in April 1996 and began training in August of the same year. | |
| 4. During Expedition 16, she exceeded Sunita Williams for the most spacewalks by a woman. | |
| 5. After spending 534 days, 2 hours, and 48 minutes in space, Whitson set the record for the longest time spent in space by any NASA astronaut. | |
| 6. She served as NASA's first female and non-pilot Chief of the Astronaut Office from 2009 to 2012. | |
| 7. She commanded the International Space Station twice, during Expedition 16 in 2008 and Expedition 51 in 2017. | |
| 8. She completed 10 spacewalks totaling over 60 hours. | |
| 9. She was NASA's first ISS Science Officer during Expedition 5. | |
| 10. She started working at Rice University as a Robert A Welch Postdoctoral Fellow in 1985. | |
| 11. She was the first female and non-pilot Chief of the Astronaut Office from 2009 to 2012. | |
| 12. She became the first woman to command a private spaceflight as commander of Axiom Mission 2. | |
| 13. She holds the record for most cumulative time in space by any American astronaut or woman astronaut in the world. | |
| 14. After spending 665 days in space across three NASA missions, Whitson set the record for the most time spent in space by any woman and any American astronaut. | |
| 15. In 2017, after 289 days on a single mission, she became the first woman to hold the record for the longest single space flight. | |
| 16. She was the first woman, nonmilitary Chief of the Astronaut Office. | |
| 17. She was NASA's first female and non-pilot Chief of the Astronaut Office from 2009 to 2012. | |
| 18. At age 57 on her final NASA flight, she was the oldest woman ever in space at that time. | |
| 19. She is the oldest woman to orbit the Earth, a record she set in 2025 at age 65. |