{"id":19168,"date":"2016-11-17T23:50:19","date_gmt":"2016-11-17T15:50:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/space-station-trip-makes-nasas-peggy-whitson-the-oldest-woman-in-space\/"},"modified":"2016-11-17T23:50:19","modified_gmt":"2016-11-17T15:50:19","slug":"space-station-trip-makes-nasas-peggy-whitson-the-oldest-woman-in-space","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/space-station-trip-makes-nasas-peggy-whitson-the-oldest-woman-in-space\/","title":{"rendered":"Space station trip makes NASA\u2019s Peggy Whitson the oldest woman in space"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Peggy
At the age of 56, NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson is beginning a months-long tour of duty on the International Space Station. (NASA Photo \/ Bill Ingalls)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Today\u2019s liftoff of a Soyuz spaceship heading for the International Space Station launched NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson into the history books as well.<\/p>\n

The three-time spaceflier, who turns 57 in February, is now the oldest woman to go into space. Whitson took the title from NASA teacher-astronaut Barbara Morgan, who had held the record since her 2007 space shuttle flight (when she was 55).<\/p>\n

In a NASA interview conducted last year, Whitson joked that a documentary film crew was following her around mostly because she was \u201cold and experienced.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAll right, yes, I\u2019m old,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

The Iowa-born Whitson made her first trip to the space station in 2003. She served a second orbital tour of duty in 2008, becoming the station\u2019s first woman commander and building up her total time in space to 377 days. That\u2019s the record for a woman astronaut, and the record will be rising on every day she spends in orbit from now on.<\/p>\n