Meet the Astronaut to Becomes the Oldest Woman in Space
She’s also the first woman to serve as commander of the International Space Station.
Peggy Whitson Ph.D.
At 56, astronaut Peggy Whitson is quite a bit younger than John Glenn was when ― in 1998 ― he became the oldest human to ever travel in space at age 77. But on Thursday, Whitson will set her own record when she rockets off the planet to become the oldest spacewoman ever.
And it gets even better. Whitson will turn 57 in February while she’s orbiting on the International Space Station, reports the Associated Press. Previously Barbara Morgan held the distinction of oldest woman in space with her 2007 trip at 55.
“I think it gets easier as you get older,” Whitson told the Des Moines Register. “You know what to worry about and what not to worry about. You prioritize your effort. It’s the ‘work smarter, not harder’ that with experience is much easier to do.”
In 2007, Whitson became the first woman to serve as commander of the space station and also was the first — and so far only — woman to head NASA’s male-dominated astronaut corps. No other woman has spent more time in space.
*What a miss smarty-pants (in a good way)