NAME: Peggy
A. Whitson (Ph.D.)
NASA Astronaut
PERSONAL
DATA: Born February
9, 1960 in Mt. Ayr, Iowa. Hometown is Beaconsfield, Iowa. Married to Clarence
F. Sams, Ph.D. She enjoys windsurfing, biking, basketball, water skiing.
EDUCATION: Graduated from Mt. Ayr Community
High School, Mt. Ayr, Iowa, in 1978; received a bachelor of science degree in
biology/chemistry from Iowa Wesleyan College in 1981, and a doctorate in
biochemistry from Rice University in 1985.
AWARDS/HONORS:
Two patents
approved (1997, 1998); Group Achievement Award for Shuttle-Mir Program (1996);
American Astronautical Society Randolph Lovelace II Award (1995); NASA Tech
Brief Award (1995); NASA Space Act Board Award (1995, 1998); NASA Silver Snoopy
Award (1995); NASA Exceptional Service Medal (1995).
NASA Space Act
Award for Patent Application; NASA Certificate of Commendation (1994);
Submission of Patent Disclosure for "Method and Apparatus for the
Collection, Storage, and Real Time Analysis of Blood and Other Bodily Fluids
(1993); Selected for Space Station Redesign Team (March-June 1993); NASA
Sustained Superior Performance Award (1990); Krug International Merit Award
(1989).
NASA-JSC
National Research Council Resident Research Associate (1986-1988); Robert A.
Welch Postdoctoral Fellowship (1985-1986); Robert A. Welch Predoctoral
Fellowship (1982-1985), Summa Cum Laude from Iowa Wesleyan College (1981);
President's Honor Roll ( 1978-81); Orange van Calhoun Scholarship (1980); State
of Iowa Scholar (1979); Academic Excellence Award (1978).
EXPERIENCE:
From 1981 to 1985,
Whitson conducted her graduate work in biochemistry at Rice University,
Houston, Texas, as a Robert A. Welch Predoctoral Fellow. Following completion
of her graduate work she continued at Rice University as a Robert A Welch
Postdoctoral Fellow until October 1986. Following this position, she began her
studies at NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas, as a National Research
Council Resident Research Associate.
From April
1988 until September 1989, Whitson served as the Supervisor for the
Biochemistry Research Group at KRUG International, a medical sciences
contractor at NASA-JSC. In 1991-1997, Whitson was also invited to be an Adjunct
Assistant Professor in the Department of Internal Medicine and Department of
Human Biological Chemistry and Genetics at University of Texas Medical Branch,
Galveston, Texas. In 1997, Whitson began a position as Adjunct Assistant
Professor at Rice University in the Maybee Laboratory for Biochemical and
Genetic Engineering.
NASA
EXPERIENCE: From
1989 to 1993, Whitson worked as a Research Biochemist in the Biomedical
Operations and Research Branch at NASA-JSC.
In 1990,
she gained the additional duties of Research Advisor for the National Research
Council Resident Research Associate. From 1991-1993, she served as Technical
Monitor of the Biochemistry Research Laboratories in the Biomedical Operations
and Research Branch. From 1991-1992 she was the Payload Element Developer for
Bone Cell Research Experiment (E10) aboard SL-J (STS-47), and was a member of
the US-USSR Joint Working Group in Space Medicine and Biology.
In 1992,
she was named the Project Scientist of the Shuttle-Mir Program (STS-60, STS-63,
STS-71, Mir 18, Mir 19) and served in this capacity until the conclusion of the
Phase 1A Program in 1995. From 1993-1996 Whitson held the additional
responsibilities of the Deputy Division Chief of the Medical Sciences Division
at NASA-JSC. From 1995-1996 she served as Co-Chair of the U.S.-Russian Mission
Science Working Group.
In April
1996, she was selected as an astronaut candidate and started training. Upon
completing two years of training and evaluation, she was assigned technical
duties in the Astronaut Office Operations Planning Branch and served as the
lead for the Crew Test Support Team in Russia from 1998-99. From Nov. 2003 to
March 2005 she served as Deputy Chief of the Astronaut Office. From Mar
2005-Nov. 2005 she served as Chief of the Station Operations Branch, Astronaut
Office. Whitson trained as the backup ISS Commander for Expedition 14 from Nov.
2005-Sept. 2006. She is assigned as the ISS Commander for Expedition
16, planned to launch in Oct. 2007.
SPACE
FLIGHT EXPERIENCE: The
Expedition 5 crew launched on June 5, 2002 aboard STS-111 and docked with the International Space Station on June 7,
2002.
During her 6-month
stay aboard the space station, Dr. Whitson installed the Mobile Base
System, the S1 truss segment, and the P1 truss segment using the space station
remote manipulator system, performed a 4 hour and 25 minute Orlan EVA to
install micrometeoroid shielding on the Zvezda Service Module, and activated
and checked out the Microgravity Sciences Glovebox, a facility class payload
rack. She was named the first
NASA Science Officer during her stay, and she conducted 21 investigations
in human life sciences and microgravity sciences, as well as commercial
payloads.
The
Expedition 5 crew (one American Astronaut and two Russian Cosmonauts) returned
to Earth aboard STS-113 on Dec. 7, 2002. Completing her first flight, Dr.
Whitson logged 184 days, 22 hours and 14 minutes in space. She will command the
Expedition
16 mission to launch Oct. 10, 2007 and land in April 2008.
Last
Updated: July 2007
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