Photo: NASA / Public domain (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Peggy Whitson is, simply put, one of the people I admire most on this entire database. A biochemist from tiny Mount Ayr, Iowa, she became an astronaut and logged 695 days in space, more than any other American or any woman in history, and served as the first female chief of NASA's Astronaut Office. The arc from rural childhood to the longest residency above our planet is the kind of story that makes the impossible feel reachable. That she kept flying with Axiom Space after retiring from NASA only deepens my respect. Beyond the medals, what moves me is how her example keeps telling girls everywhere that the sky was never the limit.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Peggy Whitson
- Name (Japanese)
- ペギー・ウィットソン
- Reading
- ぺぎー・うぃっとそん
- Born
- February 9, 1960 (age 66)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Aquarius / Rat
- Origin
- Mount Ayr, Iowa, United States
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- astronaut / biochemist
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Private
- University
- Iowa Wesleyan University
Awards & achievements
- 1995 NASA Exceptional Service Medal
- 2003 NASA Distinguished Service Medal
- 2003 NASA Space Flight Medal
- 2006 NASA Certificate of Appreciation
- 2006 NASA Exceptional Service Medal
- 2006 NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal
- 2008 NASA Distinguished Service Medal
- 2008 NASA Space Flight Medal
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
Frequently asked questions
When was Peggy Whitson born?
Born February 9, 1960 (age 66).
Where is Peggy Whitson from?
Peggy Whitson is from Mount Ayr, Iowa, United States.
What does Peggy Whitson do?
Peggy Whitson works as astronaut, biochemist.
Astronaut — see all → · Biochemist — see all → · More people from United States →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-20
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.