In Photos: Record-Breaking NASA Astronaut Peggy Whitson

NASA’s Peggy Whitson performed her 7th spacewalk during Expedition 50, breaking the record for most EVAs for a female astronaut. She has now done a total of ten spacewalks.

NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson (center) poses with crewmates Shane Kimbrough of NASA (right) and Thomas Pesquet of the European Space Agency ahead of a Jan. 13, 2017 spacewalk outside the International Space Station. Kimbrough and Pesquet are taking another spacewalk on March 24.

Astronaut Peggy Whitson, Expedition 16 commander, dons a training version of the Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) space suit prior to being submerged in the waters of the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory near the Johnson Space Center in Houston. In 2003, she served as commander of the fifth NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations (NEEMO) mission.

At the Sonny Carter Training Facility inside the Neutral Buoyancy Lab, astronauts Peggy Whitson of NASA and Thomas Pesquet of ESA, crewmembers of Expedition 50/51, participate in a suited, underwater training for the International Space Station EVA Maintenance 7 in January or 2016.

Veteran NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson places her mission patch on the International Space Station during the Expedition 16 mission.

Expedition 50 crew members Thomas Pesquet of ESA (European Space Agency) and Peggy Whitson and Shane Kimbrough of NASA take a selfie during robotics training inside the Cupola of the International Space Station.

NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson dons a Santa hat and Christmas socks in weightlessness to celebrate the holidays on the International Space Station on Dec. 22, 2016.

International Space Station astronauts Peggy Whitson and Thomas Pesquet take part in a video conference with ground control to prepare for the robotic capture of the SpaceX Dragon cargo craft that launched on Feb. 19, 2017.

NASA astronauts Peggy Whitson (left) and Shane Kimbrough talk Super Bowl LI and life in space in this video still from a live NASA event on Feb. 1, 2017. The astronauts will watch the 2017 Super Bowl from space.

NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson during a spacewalk in 2008

Expedition 50 official crew portrait with (from left) Andrei Borisenko, Shane Kimbrough, Sergey Ryzhikov, Thomas Pesquet, Peggy Whitson and Oleg Novitsky.

Astronauts Thomas Pesquet of ESA (European Space Agency), Oleg Novitskiy of the Russian space agency Roscosmos, and Peggy Whitson of NASA pose for a group photo at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia during qualification exams for their Expedition 50/51 mission to the International Space Station.

The Expedition 50 crewmembers wave farewell as they board the Soyuz spacecraft 2.5 hours before liftoff.

Astronaut Thomas Pesquet and cosmonaut Oleg Navitskiy hold hands as the countdown approaches launch time.

The Soyuz MS-03 spacecraft launches from the Baikonur Cosmodrome with Expedition 50 crewmembers NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson, Russian cosmonaut Oleg Novitskiy of Roscosmos, and ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Nov. 17 at 3:20 p.m. EST (2020 GMT).

The six-person crew of Expedition 50 celebrate a very happy Thanksgiving on the International Space Station on Nov. 24, 2016 with rehydrated turkey, stuffing, potatoes and vegetables.

All six members of the Expedition 50 crew aboard the International Space Station celebrated the holidays together with a festive meal.

Aboard the International Space Station, Expedition 50 Flight Engineer Peggy Whitson of NASA sent holiday greetings and festive imagery from the cupola window on Dec. 18, 2016.

NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson works outside the International Space Station during a Jan. 6, 2017 spacewalk to update the outpost’s power system.

European Space Agency astronaut Thomas Pesquet poses for a photo with NASA astronauts Peggy Whitson and Shane Kimbrough as they prebreathe for a Jan. 6, 2017 spacewalk outside the International Space Station.

Peggy Whitson in her EVA suit before her seventh spacewalk on Jan. 6, 2017.

Peggy Whitson and Shane Kimbrough gear up for their spacewalk on Jan. 6, 2017.

After a long spacewalk, NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson is seen entering the International Space Station’s Quest airlock in this photo by ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet inside the station on Jan. 6, 2017.

As Thomas Pesquet worked on the space station’s robotic arm from outside during a spacewalk on March 24, 2017, flight engineer Peggy Whitson operated the arm from inside the space station.

Impaired vision sometimes afflicts visitors to the Space Station. NASA’s Peggy Whitson uses the Fundoscope to collect images of the back of her eye during a routine check.

NASA’s Peggy Whitson floats among tangled cables inside the Columbus module on the International Space Station.

The Microgravity Science Glovebox is where astronauts test how gases and liquids behave inside a column of fixed porous material.

NASA’s Peggy Whitson opens the Harmony module hatchway to the HTV-6. The cargo craft was launched from the Tanegashima Space Center on Friday, December 9, 2016 for its four-day trip to the ISS.

Peggy Whitson and Shane Kimbrough, Expedition 50 crewmembers, aboard the International Space Station have some fun with fresh fruit delivered by the December 13, 2016 HTV-6 cargo vehicle. These cargo vehicles deliver small amounts of fresh food to the ISS — including fruits and vegetables — on a regular basis.

In the Fall of 2016 Astronaut Peggy Whitson works with Expedition 49/50 crewmembers Takuya Onishi and Kate Rubins with spacewalk training in preparation for their trip to the International Space Station.

Whitson, Expedition 16 commander, and cosmonaut Yuri I. Malenchenko, a flight engineer from Russia’s Federal Space Agency, train at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia, in September 2007.

Astronaut Peggy Whitson signs in at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center at Star City, Russia, for the Soyuz qualification exams on May 26, 2016, before Expedition 48/49. Whitson was part of the backup crew for the mission that launched on June 24, 2016.

After the Space Shuttle Discovery mated with the International Space Station on October 25, 2007, astronaut Peggy Whitson, Expedition 16 commander, greets Astronaut Pam Melroy, STS-120 commander when the hatch is opened. Melroy sits in the Orbiter Docking Compartment while Whitson lay in the Pressurized Mating Adapter.

On September 3, 2002, Whitson, flight engineer for Expedition Five, sits in a docked Soyuz spacecraft at the International Space Station. She wears a Russian Sokol suit.

Celebrating International Women’s Day a little early in February of 2017, ESA’s Thomas Pesquet has some fun with astronaut Peggy Whitson munching on some space-grown lettuce and expresses how much he appreciates being on a team.

During an extravehicular activity on November 24, 2007, astronaut Peggy Whitson, Expedition 16 commander and her crewmate Daniel Tani, flight engineer aide in construction of the International Space Station. The over seven hour spacewalk had them continue fitting the Harmony node outside the Destiny laboratory in its new position.

At the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory near the Johnson Space Center, astronaut Peggy Whitson, Expedition Five flight engineer, practices an emergency bailout training session on July 12, 2001. United Space Alliance crew trainer David Pogue and Johnson Engineering diver Marquis Gibbs assist.

A January 6, 2017 spacewalk during Expedition 50 takes NASA astronauts Peggy Whitson and Shane Kimbrough to new heights on the ISS. They successfully completed the initial mission of installing new adapter plates and connecting electoral connections for three new lithium-ion batteries. They also took a photo survey of the Alpha Magnetic Spectromer, executing some get-ahead tasks as well.

Now astronaut Peggy Whitson, pictured here as Expedition Five flight engineer in November 2001, held several different roles at NASA beginning in 1989 before beginning her journey as an astronaut in 1996. She has flown to the International Space Station three times as of November of 2017 and she holds the record for most days spent in space by a woman.

Between the Harmony node and Destiny laboratory, astronaut Peggy Whitson, Expedition 16 commander, works aboard the International Space Station on January 6, 2017.

November 24, 2007 during Expedition 16, astronaut Peggy Whitson, commander for the mission, performs an EVA with her crewmate Shane Kimbrough. Before this expedition Whitson has completed six successful spacewalks.

Inside the Destiny laboratory on the International Space Station, NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson, Expedition 16 commander, enjoys floating around.

As construction continues on the ISS, astronaut Peggy Whitson, Expedition 16 commander, completes an extravehicular activity session with cosmonaut Yuri I. Malenchenko, flight engineer for Russia’s Federal Space Agency. The pair arrange to relocate the Pressurized Mating Adapter 2 and the future move of the Harmony node to its final ISS home.

Aboard the International Space Station in the Destiny laboratory, NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson, Expedition 16 commander, prepares to document the Capillary Flow Experiment Vane Gap-1. The equipment sits on the Maintenance Work Area. The experiment records the flow of fluid, specifically capillary phenomena, under the effects of microgravity.

President Donald Trump called NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson to congratulate her on a successful return from a record-breaking mission to the International Space Station.

NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson (left), Russian cosmonaut Fyodor Yurchikhin (center) and NASA astronaut Jack Fischer (right) pose for a photo after landing in Kazakhstan on Sept. 3, 2017 local time (late Sept. 2, EDT). Whitson spent 288 days on the space station during her flight, with Fischer and Yurchikhin spending 136 days on their mission.

NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson smiles after returning to Earth on a Soyuz capsule in Kazakhstan on Sept. 3, 2017 local time (Sept. 2 EDT), ending a record-breaking mission to the International Space Station.

NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson floats in front of the Cupola window at the International Space Station. The cupola is the largest window ever launched into space and provides a clear view of Earth and incoming cargo shipments.

NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson broke the record for cumulative time spent in space by a U.S. astronaut.

Flight Director Brian Smith, Capcom Astronaut Jessica Meir along with Astronaut Jeff Williams monitor activities in Mission Control as President Donald Trump, First Daughter Ivanka Trump and NASA astronaut Kate Rubins make a special Earth-to-space call Monday, April 24, from the Oval Office to personally congratulate NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson for her record-breaking stay aboard the International Space Station. Photo Date: April 24, 2017. Location: Building 30 – FCR1.

NASA astronaut and space station crewmember Peggy Whitson speaks with a representative of the Guinness Book of World Records on July 26, 2017.

Inside the Unity module, Expedition 51 crewmembers — from the left, Flight Engineers Oleg Novitskiy, Fyodor Yurchikhin and Jack Fischer and Commander Peggy Whitson — eat together.

NASA astronauts Peggy Whitson and Jack Fischer celebrated 2017’s Fourth of July in space on the International Space Station with a stars-and-stripes photoshoot.

A “space cheeseburger,” made using a tortilla for bread, is seen on board the International Space Station in late 2016. NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson floats in the background.

NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson and European Space Agency astronaut Thomas Pesquet inside the BEAM inflatable habitat that is currently attached to the International Space Station.

NASA astronauts Peggy Whitson and Jack Fischer play ping-pong with balls of water at the International Space Station on April 26, 2017.

NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson harvests cabbage from the Veggie facility on board the International Space Station.

Astronaut Peggy Whitson floats in the cupola on board the International Space Station, backdropped by the Earth below.

Matryoshka Dolls representing Expedition 52 crewmembers Peggy Whitson (left), Fyodor Yurchikhin (center) and Jack Fischer (right) are seen at the Karaganda Airport welcome ceremony in Kazakhstan.

Expedition 51 is comprised of five crewmembers: from the left, Jack Fischer, Fyodor Yurchikhin, Thomas Pesquet, Peggy Whitson and Oleg Novitskiy.

The Expedition 52 crew poses for a portrait at the International Space Station. Pictured clockwise from top right: Paolo Nespoli, Jack Fischer, Peggy Whitson, Sergey Ryazanskiy, Randy Bresnik and Fyodor Yurchikhin.