Peggy Whitson is a pioneer and a record-setter many people don’t know about but hopefully after this story they will.
Whitson is an astronaut and yes we still have them in our country. She blasted off in outer space this past November and became the oldest woman ever to ride into space. Now that’s one for the history books, do you agree?
To show she’s not stopping at being recognized for setting records, now she has another coming up nobody really knew about until now. On Friday, she becomes the oldest woman ever to perform a very important spacewalk.
This spacewalk is not just putting on your suit and walking outside the ship, it’s a very important walk that will take time and precision but Whitson is not only one year older, she is experience to get the job done.
We’re excited to do our first #spacewalk of 2017! The #NASAvillage prepared us for this moment. Learn more here: https://t.co/oxfeaE0sQH pic.twitter.com/5AHEeZz6Ja
— Peggy Whitson (@AstroPeggy) January 5, 2017
From Mashable:
As part of her six-month stint at the space station, NASA wrote on its blog how Whitson and fellow astronaut Shane Kimbrough (he’s only 49) will perform a “power maintenance spacewalk,” which means she’ll help replace power gear — new lithium-ion batteries for storing solar power — for the station.
The walk on Friday, which starts at 7 a.m. ET and continues for 6.5 hours, is the first of two spacewalks coming up. The second on Jan. 13 will wrap up the battery installation that the two astronauts started.
Their out-of-this-world walk is important, but most of the complex work was done back on Earth by someone using a remote-controlled robotic arm and hand, according to NASA.
In an interview with the Associated Press earlier this week, Whitson said she’s adapting to weightless life in space quicker than her last trip in 2008.
“I love being in space,” she said. “I sleep like a baby. I mean, it is amazing the great sleep. Nothing hurts when you’re lying in bed. You can sleep the whole night through. It’s great.”
You can watch the walk live here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HeuZkBk9LLk
We send our congratulations to Peggy for an achievement many will never reach. She has reached heights and witnessed things only few will ever know and now her record will stand for a lifetime and more.
What do you think of Peggy’s record? Did you ever want to fly into space? Share your voice below in comment section and tell us what you thought of the spacewalk. Add this story to your Facebook and Twitter timeline.
