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Iowa’s Peggy Whitson talks Apollo program on anniversary

Retired NASA astronaut and Iowan, Peggy Whitson, says she first dreamed of going into space when she saw Neil Armstrong take the first step on the moon.

Iowa’s Peggy Whitson talks Apollo program on anniversary

Retired NASA astronaut and Iowan, Peggy Whitson, says she first dreamed of going into space when she saw Neil Armstrong take the first step on the moon.

She remembers being *** nine year old in Ohio in Iowa on *** farm when Apollo launched, take us back to that moment. Well, actually, the most memorable part for me was the touchdown and the first step on the moon. I remember that distinctly. It was late at night for me. I was supposed to be in bed and my parents got us out of bed so that we can watch it. So I think part of the reason I remember it is because we got to stay up late to watch. You were inspired by Sally Ride, the first woman in space. Now, there are *** lot of boys and girls watching right now, looking at you and feeling inspired. What's your best advice you've received for them? Well, the best advice is find your passion, work really, really hard and push yourself, challenge yourself to live outside. What's comfortable for you because that's when you're going to find out how much more you can really do. Speaking of what's comfortable in *** CBS poll, most Americans said they supported *** return to the moon, but most Americans thought the money that it would cost to get there might be better spent elsewhere. So, what's the argument for going back? Well, I think exploration, pushing the limits, pushing our boundaries is the reason to go back. It improves our technology here on earth. All the money that gets spent on that space exploration is spent down here on the ground and we're developing new technologies. So I think it's really important and Peggy, I know you happen to believe there's more life out there other than us. Do you think we'll find it real quickly? I hope so. Maybe not on the moon, but we'll find it. I hope so too.
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Iowa’s Peggy Whitson talks Apollo program on anniversary

Retired NASA astronaut and Iowan, Peggy Whitson, says she first dreamed of going into space when she saw Neil Armstrong take the first step on the moon.

Retired NASA astronaut and Iowan, Peggy Whitson, says she first dreamed of going into space when she saw Neil Armstrong take the first step on the moon."The most memorable part for me was the touchdown, and the first step on the moon," said Whitson.Whitson has spent 665 days in space, more than any other American in history.While speaking to CBS This Morning co-anchor Tony Dokopuil, she gave some advice to aspiring astronauts."The best advice is find your passion, work really, really hard, and push yourself. Challenge yourself to live outside what's comfortable for you. Because that's when you're going to find out how much more you can really do," said Whitson.Whitson announced her retirement from NASA last summer on June 15th.

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Retired NASA astronaut and Iowan, Peggy Whitson, says she first dreamed of going into space when she saw Neil Armstrong take the first step on the moon.

"The most memorable part for me was the touchdown, and the first step on the moon," said Whitson.

Whitson has spent 665 days in space, more than any other American in history.

While speaking to CBS This Morning co-anchor Tony Dokopuil, she gave some advice to aspiring astronauts.

"The best advice is find your passion, work really, really hard, and push yourself. Challenge yourself to live outside what's comfortable for you. Because that's when you're going to find out how much more you can really do," said Whitson.

Whitson announced her retirement from NASA last summer on June 15th.