Astronaut Peggy Whitson is extending her time at the International Space Station for 3 more months.
Already having surpassed the record of most days in space on March,30,2017, Peggy has been allotted 3 extra months at the ISS. This was possible due to the minimization of a cosmonaut (Russian astronaut). This is a well-done arrangement due to the fact that the available resources will be utilized with Peggy aboard for the +3 months. She will be taking use of a Soyuz seat that was left empty by Roscosmos in their decision of temporarily reducing the complement to 2 cosmonauts out of the 3 intended to be there.
In the ISS, astronauts and cosmonauts collaborate in every day tasks and share their living, just as close as family.
The stay of Peggy in space represents a major achievement for all people, aspiring scientists and astronauts, NASA, herself and specially for women and girls around the world.
As Peggy continues to work hard and in environments that have been dominated by male counterparts for years, she vibrates the strength and courage that led her to the road she has taken upon.
Tomorrow, April-9-2017, Peggy will become the first woman to command the space station twice. Her first term as commander was during her second mission that launched October,17,2007 for which she became first woman commander in 2008.
Now, rather than returning to Earth in June with crewmates of Expedition 51, Oleg Novitsky of Roscosmos and Thomas Pesquet of ESA (European Space Agency), Peggy will return home with NASA’s Jack Fischer and Roscosmos’ Fyodor Yurchikhin in September.
As launching on Nov 17, 2016 with 377 days in space, she is bound to surpass Jeff Williams' record of 534 days in space on April 24, in 16 days.