Meet the first female commander of the International Space Station (ISS).
Dr Peggy Whitson is a trailblazing American space scientist and NASA astronaut. Her resume is an inspiration. Peggy has completed 3 trips to the ISS, performed 10 spacewalks to install and maintain ISS equipment, and spent a total of 665 days in space – more than any other American astronaut!
Whilst in the zero-gravity environment of space, she conducted dozens of experiments in biology, biotechnology, physical science and earth science. Peggy grew up on a farm in the American Midwest, and recently celebrated her 58th birthday.
Whilst in space, she wrote a letter to her nine-year-old self, encouraging her to ‘ignore the naysayers’ and pursue her dream of becoming an astronaut.
You can read the complete letter here: