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NASA's Peggy Whitson Becomes Oldest Woman in Space at 56

As of Thursday’s launch to the ISS.

Peggy Whitson, 56, became the oldest female astronaut to travel to space at 3:20 pm ET Thursday. Along with two other crew members, Whitson will travel to the International Space Station, where she will turn 57 on February 9. This is not the only record-breaking NASA adventure of her career, however: in 2007 Whitman became the first woman to command the International Space Station, and with a cumulative total of nearly 377 days in space, she has spent more time in space than any other female astronaut. Her upcoming six month mission will push her past the U.S. record of 534 days spent in space– a record set by Jeffrey Williams in September.