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Space & Astronomy

Record-breaking astronaut returns to Earth

By T.K. Randall
September 3, 2017 · Comment icon 5 comments

'Soaking up some sunset time in the cupola' Whitson Tweeted last month. Image Credit: NASA
NASA's Peggy Whitson broke a slew of records during her latest 288-day mission aboard the ISS.
The 57-year-old biochemical researcher and veteran astronaut has spent a total of 665 days in space, which is more than any other American astronaut and more than any other woman.

She also holds records for being the oldest woman in space and the most experienced female spacewalker having carried out spacewalks on ten separate occasions.

Her most recent mission to the International Space Station, which started last November, was extended by three months after an extra place became available.
When asked what she missed most about home while in space, she said that she missed her husband, pizza and the availability of flushing toilets.

She also stated that working in space was "one of the most gratifying jobs I've ever had."

"I am working on paying forward some of the advice and mentoring that I received on my journey in hopes that one day those young people will do the same and look back on a life in which they leapt at the opportunities and broke their own records," she said.

Source: Sky News | Comments (5)




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Recent comments on this story
Comment icon #1 Posted by Stiff 7 years ago
Incredible. It must take some adjusting back on terra firma after spending that amount of time in space. I imagine even walking would be quite a struggle after so long being 'weightless'.
Comment icon #2 Posted by taniwha 7 years ago
I think it's incredible anyone would be able to walk again after that crash landing let alone survive. Does anyone know if that story is a hoax?
Comment icon #3 Posted by Waspie_Dwarf 7 years ago
It wasn't a crash landing, it was EXACTLY as it was supposed to be. To those that have never seen a Soyuz landing before it can appear like a crash. The Soyuz approaches the ground at a little over 3 mph. One second before landing, at an altitude of less than 3 feet, retrorockets fire, producing a bright flash of flame and slowing the capsule further, This is perfectly normal. The retrorockets kick up a lot of dust (the landing area in Kazakhstan is desert), making the impact look harder than it actually is. This is also perfectly normal. The parachute often drags the capsule on to it's side i... [More]
Comment icon #4 Posted by taniwha 7 years ago
Well they do things differently in Russia it seems.  
Comment icon #5 Posted by Waspie_Dwarf 7 years ago
They have been doing it that way since 1967. What's more recent history suggests they do it right. The Orion capsule was originally supposed to return to land like a Soyuz, but as it is a much heavier capsule, this proved to be too costly and too technically difficult. Orion will splash down in the ocean like Apollo, which means it will require a hugely expensive recovery operation. SpaceX's future versions of the Dragon capsule were supposed to, eventually, return to dry land. SpaceX have recently announced that they have abandoned this idea and so it too will continue to need costly recovery... [More]


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