Whitson into Astronaut Hall of Fame
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Will return to space this weekend
This week is a memorable one for Beaconsfield native Peggy Whitson.
On May 31, Whitson was inducted into the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame located at the Kennedy Space Center at Merritt Island, FL.
Just eight days later, she is scheduled to return to space as commander of the Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4) on June 8.
Whitson’s entire family will attend the launch. They include Hugh and Jackie Whitson; Tanner, Tess, Clyde, Ike, and Quinn Rinehart; Chris, Laura, Letty, Pierce, and Breckin Whitson; Tyler Whitson; Bailey Myer and her partner Elijah Heimsoth; and Whitson’s husband Clarence Sams.
Whitson’s credentials for inclusion in the Hall of Fame speak for themselves.
A 1978 graduate of Mount Ayr Community High School, Whitson flew on three NASA long-duration space flights and served as commander of Axiom Mission 2 (Ax-2), accumulating 675 days in space, more than any other American astronaut or woman astronaut in the world.
Whitson has more than 38 years of space and science experience combined with NASA and Axiom Space. Over her career, she has served as NASA’s Chief of the Astronaut Office, two-time Commander of the International Space Station (ISS), and in many other leadership positions.
On Axiom Mission 2 (Ax-2), a joint venture between NASA and SpaceX, she became the first female commander of a private astronaut mission. Whitson will command her second commercial human spaceflight mission to the International Space Station with Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4).
Throughout her career, Whitson has been honored with various awards and recognitions including National Air and Space Museum’s Micheal Collins Lifetime Achievement Award (2024), Forbes 50 Over 50, Innovation (2023), Glamour’s Woman of the Year (2017), TIME 100 Most Influential People in the World (2018), and Women in Aviation Lifetime Achievement Award (2017) and many other prestigious awards.
