Dr. Peggy Whitson is a retired NASA astronaut and the Director of Human Spaceflight at Axiom Space, using her expertise to help the Houston-based company build the world's first commercial space station. In 2023, she became the first woman to command a private space mission when she led the Axiom Mission 2 on a ten-day trip to the International Space Station (ISS).

A biochemist by training, Whitson has used her time in her 37-year long space career to conduct scientific experiments for NASA. With the Axiom mission, she has logged 675 days in space, more than any other woman alive. She holds additional records: as the first female commander of the ISS; as the oldest woman ever in space; and the longest single space flight by a woman. Her first space mission was in 2002 as a member of Expedition 5 onboard the ISS.

Whitson was included in Forbes magazine's "50 Over 50" list in 2023 and Time's "100 Most Influential People of 2018."

She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology/Chemistry from Iowa Wesleyan College and a Doctorate in Biochemistry from Rice University.

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