Peggy Whitson is a legendary American astronaut, biochemist, and one of the most accomplished figures in space exploration history.
Born on February 9, 1960, in Mount Ayr, Iowa (and raised on a farm near Beaconsfield), she turns 66 today. Inspired by the Apollo 11 Moon landing as a child, she pursued a career in science, earning a B.S. in biology and chemistry from Iowa Wesleyan University (1981) and a Ph.D. in biochemistry from Rice University (1985).
She joined NASA in 1986 as a research biochemist and was selected as an astronaut in 1996. Over her NASA career, she flew three
Long-duration missions to the International Space Station (ISS):
- Expedition 5 (2002)
- Expedition 16 (2007–2008, where she became the first female commander of the ISS)
- Expedition 50/51/52 (2016–2017, commanding again as the only woman to command the ISS twice)
She accumulated 665 days in space during her NASA tenure—the most by any woman and any American at the time—along with 10 spacewalks totaling over 60 hours.
After retiring from NASA in 2018, Whitson transitioned to Axiom Space, where she serves as Vice President (or Director) of Human Spaceflight.
She has continued flying on private missions:
- Commander of Axiom Mission 2 (Ax-2) in 2023, the first woman to command a private astronaut mission
- Commander of Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4) in 2025
These added to her total, bringing her cumulative time in space to 695 days (over 695 days, 7 hours)—making her the most experienced American astronaut and the woman with the most time in space worldwide.
She holds numerous records and honors, including being the oldest woman in space (at age 57 during one mission), the first non-military chief of NASA's Astronaut Office, and inductee into the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame (2025). She's been recognized by TIME's 100 Most Influential People, Forbes' 50 Over 50, and more.
Details on Peggy Whitson's spacewalks
Peggy Whitson has performed a total of 10 spacewalks (extravehicular activities, or EVAs) during her NASA career, all on the International Space Station (ISS). These occurred across her three long-duration expeditions:
Expedition 5 (2002), Expedition 16 (2007–2008), and Expedition 50/51/52 (2016–2017).
Her cumulative EVA time is 60 hours and 21 minutes, a record for any woman and placing her among the top all-time spacewalkers.
No spacewalks are reported from her private Axiom missions (Ax-2 in 2023 or Ax-4 in 2025), as those focused on other objectives.
Breakdown by Expedition
Expedition 5 (2002): 1 spacewalk (using Russian Orlan suit)
Performed with Valery Korzun to install micrometeoroid shielding on the Zvezda Service Module.
Duration: 4 hours, 25 minutes (noted in NASA records as part of her early contributions).
Expedition 16 (2007–2008): 5 spacewalks
These involved assembly and maintenance tasks, including inspections and repairs on the Solar Alpha Rotary Joint (SARJ) and other truss components.
During her fourth EVA on this mission (December 18, 2007), she surpassed the record for most cumulative EVA time and number of EVAs by a woman.
One notable long EVA exceeded 8 hours (her longest recorded).
Total for this expedition: Approximately 30+ hours, contributing significantly to her then-record totals.
Expedition 50/51/52 (2016–2017): 4 spacewalks
These focused on upgrades, maintenance, and reconfiguration for future commercial crews (e.g., installing relay boxes, thermal shields on Tranquility module, and cable work on Pressurized Mating Adapter-3).
Key dates and highlights:
March 30, 2017 (with Shane Kimbrough): 7 hours, 4 minutes — Broke the women's record for most EVAs (8th) and cumulative time (surpassing Sunita Williams at ~53 hours, 22 minutes total at that point); involved installing shielding and addressing challenges akin to Apollo 13 troubleshooting.
Other EVAs included one on May 12, 2017 (with Jack Fischer): 4 hours, 13 minutes.
Her 10th and final NASA EVA on May 23, 2017 (with Jack Fischer): An unscheduled repair of a faulty relay box; duration contributed to the final 60:21 total.
These four added roughly 20+ hours, pushing her to the all-time female records.
Key Records and Notes
- Most spacewalks by a woman: 10 (unsurpassed as of current records).
- Most cumulative EVA time by a woman: 60 hours, 21 minutes.
- Oldest woman to perform a spacewalk (at age 57 during her 2017 EVAs).
Her spacewalks used both U.S. EMU suits and Russian Orlan suits (at least one Orlan confirmed).
All were tethered to the ISS for assembly, maintenance, repairs, and upgrades—no untethered or lunar/Mars-style walks.
These feats highlight Whitson's expertise in orbital construction and her trailblazing role in advancing women's participation in spacewalks. Sources include NASA biographies, Wikipedia summaries of EVA records, and mission logs.
Today, on her birthday, she's celebrated as a trailblazer who continues pushing boundaries in commercial spaceflight while advocating for the transition from the ISS to private space stations.
Happy birthday to a true pioneer!