Editorial: Congratulations, Peggy Whitson, on a wonderful career
If I told you about an Iowa farm kid who grew up growing soybeans, like their dad, you'd say, "so what." Now what if I told you those soybeans were grown in space, in the International Space Station. That's just one small part of Iowan Peggy Whitson's story.
Whitson, a farm kid who graduated from Mount Ayr High School, dreamed about flying. Using the money she earned from raising and selling chickens, she took flying lessons. But her dream was to soar higher than any plane could take her. And soar she did.
Last fall, Whitson returned from a 288-day stay on the International Space station. In total, this 58-year-old Iowa native has spent 665 days in space – more than any other female and more than any other American astronaut – of any gender.
She's been the first woman to command the space station – twice, tied the record for total number of space walks, and been the oldest woman to go into space.
Whitson's dream of space exploration required tremendous perseverance - she went through 10 years of applying before NASA accepted her to the program. Through it all she's remained hard-working and humble.
Whitson's life exemplifies that a big dream combined with a resilient, hard-working attitude can take you anywhere – even 240 miles above earth. This weekend Whitson will be honored for displaying the highest ideals of character when she receives the Pillar of Character Award from The Robert D and Billie Ray Center at Drake University.
We can't think of a better Iowa success story to celebrate than the work of this pioneering, ground-breaking woman. Congratulations, Peggy Whitson.
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