Record astronaut with more time in space says goodbye to NASA

Iowa-born Peggy Whitson joined NASA in 1986 as a Resident Researcher at the National Research Council at the Johnson Space Center in Houston. She has held several positions, including project scientist for the Shuttle-MIR program in the US-Russia partnership, and was selected to be an astronaut in 1996. After that, she never left. Now the space-time recorder says goodbye to the US space agency.

Peggy completed three long-term missions for the International Space Station, setting records in each. She made her first trip in 2002 on Expedition 5, during which she participated in 21 scientific investigations and became the first science officer for NASA's space station.

In 2008, she returned on Expedition 16 and became the first commander of the space station. During her most recent mission, spanning Expeditions 50, 51, and 52 from November 2016 to September 2017, Peggy became the first woman to command the space station twice on Expedition 51.

A woman of records

Peggy also claimed the title for most of a woman's spacewalks - ten totaling 60 hours and 21 minutes - and set the record for most of the time accumulated in space by a US astronaut at 665 days. Her time on the ground at NASA was also important. She served as head of the astronaut corps from 2009 to 2012, becoming the first woman to hold the position and the first nonmilitary chief of this group.

"Peggy Whitson is a testament to the American spirit. His determination, strength of mind, character and dedication to science, exploration and discovery are an inspiration to NASA and America. We owe him a great debt for his service and we will miss him. We thank her for her service to our agency and country, ”said NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine.

"It was a great honor to have Peggy Whitson representing our entire NASA Flight Operations team. She has set the highest standards for manned spaceflight operations, and is an excellent role model for women and men in the United States and throughout the United States. See you, Peg, ”said Brian Kelly, Johnson's Director of Flight Operations.

"Peggy is a classmate and friend, and she'll be sorely missed. Along with her record-breaking career, she leaves behind a legacy of her passion for space, " said Pat Forrester, the current head of the Astronaut Office.