NASA astronaut to become oldest woman in space

NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson is on the verge of becoming the oldest woman in space, adding to her long list of barrier-breaking records.

Ms. Whitson, who is all set to rocket off the planet, will celebrate her 57th birthday in February on the International Space Station.

That’s a far cry from John Glenn’s space shuttle flight at age 77 and a few years shy of the male runners-up. But it’s enough to beat Barbara Morgan’s record as the world’s oldest spacewoman.

This will be the third space station mission for Ms. Whitson, an Iowa-born biochemist, and her second stint as commander. She’ll launch from Kazakhstan with two younger men — Russian cosmonaut, Oleg Novitskiy (45), and French newcomer to space, Thomas Pesquet (38). They will join an American and two Russians at the space station.

“It is a great place to work and live, and I feel really lucky that we are going to be with friends while we’re there,” Ms. Whitson said at a press conference.

Ms. Whitson was the first woman to serve as commander of the space station in 2007, nine years into its lifetime. She 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.

Strict when it comes to lifetime radiation exposure, NASA insisted Ms. Whitson remain Earth-bound for a while after her last mission. “I would have rather gone sooner, but I’ll deal with it,” she said over the summer.

“Dear Peggy, you’re such a brave woman who has won over hearts of all Baikonur residents,” city administrator Anatoly Petrenko said. “I admire you. All the best at launch.”

During the training, a French documentary crew followed Mr. Pesquet, focusing on his relative youth and fresh eyes. Ms. Whitson said the interest on her, by comparison, was for being “old and experienced”.

“All right, yes, I’m old,” she said in a NASA interview. She noted in a recent series of pre-flight interviews that it gets easier with age, knowing what to expect on a space flight and how to prioritise.

Fancy cuisine

Ms. Whitson said that while she will miss her friends and family, probably the biggest challenge is the lack of variety in space food. “There will be French food this time,” Mr. Pesquet assured her. He and the rest of the team in space will enjoy dishes whipped up in advance by top chefs. Mr. Pesquet said he would prepare the New Year’s feast.

Ms. Whitson already has spent 377 days in space and performed multiple spacewalks. Her upcoming six-month mission should push her beyond 534 days in space, the U.S. record set by astronaut Jeffrey Williams.

Ms Whitson said she’s had a lucky run with a few regrets. But she told reporters last summer, “In terms of goals for NASA before I die, we need to be living on Mars. And I might not live that long, so they better get with it!”