NASA's Most Experienced Astronaut Retires, Spent 665 Days In Space (upi.com) 49
An anonymous reader quotes UPI:
After nearly four decades with NASA, including 22 years as an astronaut, Peggy Whitson is leaving the space agency. Her retirement is effective Friday, NASA announced... Whitson ends her career with multiple records to her name, including most time spent in space by a U.S. astronaut -- 665 days...
The 57-year-old Whitson was a scientist before she was an astronaut, earning graduate degrees in biochemistry from Rice University in Houston before coming to conduct research at NASA's Johnson Space Center in 1989. The NASA scientist began training as an astronaut in 1996. She made her first trip to the International Space Station in 2008. During her time in space, including three long-duration stints aboard International Space Station, she helped carry out 21 science investigation and became the agency's first space station science officer... Whitson took a second turn as commander during Expedition 51, part of her most recent -- and last -- stay on the space station, which spanned from November 2016 to September 2017.
The 57-year-old Whitson was a scientist before she was an astronaut, earning graduate degrees in biochemistry from Rice University in Houston before coming to conduct research at NASA's Johnson Space Center in 1989. The NASA scientist began training as an astronaut in 1996. She made her first trip to the International Space Station in 2008. During her time in space, including three long-duration stints aboard International Space Station, she helped carry out 21 science investigation and became the agency's first space station science officer... Whitson took a second turn as commander during Expedition 51, part of her most recent -- and last -- stay on the space station, which spanned from November 2016 to September 2017.
So close... (Score:3, Funny)
Almost the most METAL astronaut ever. Just one day off...
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Did they allow for gaining an extra day if you go round anti-clockwise?
I saw that in a movie once.
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Indeed. Such vulgar colonial patois would never be tolerated at The Reform Club [wikipedia.org].
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I've seen "CCW" used for "counter-clockwise" oodles of times. I guess you just don't read very much?
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Re: I'm confused...in Retardistan states (Score:1)
And the OP thought he was confused, then along comes you, hold my beer, im much nuttier than you.
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First decade: 1981-1990
Second decade: 1991-2000
Third decade: 2001-2010
Fourth decade: 2011-2020
She actually worked at NASA during four decades! Not to mention two millennia!
Captcha: groaners
Almost got SATANIC TRIPS! (Score:2)
So close!
Impressive (Score:2)
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Taikonauts FTW.
Re: Impressive (Score:1)
Not literally.
And people from all over have accomplishments. Most people born in what might be considered 'hot spots' on the right or left coast are just the same blah average people. Statistics takes care of that. So there's no need to scramble to somewhere that it's more expensive to live to squirt out your kid.
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15 goddam mod points ... (Score:5, Insightful)
... and not one fucking comment would make a good wart on a slasdotter's ass.
Disappointing.
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Telling, to me, is that I have never heard of her. When someone of her caliber steps out of the dimness into the limelight at the end of her long career, I wonder where she was on the stage.
Hell, I wonder where I was in the audience.
Congratulations to her on a job -- not well done -- but very well done
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She's well-known by those that follow space news. Maybe you've heard of this astronaut through his viral Youtube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?... [youtube.com]
All done (Score:2)
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She is probably traveling around, giving talks.
Partial retirement fun time. (Score:1)
This is it.
This is where she will make some big bucks now.
Having such a long established career can only lead to giving talks and making even more money.
Whether it is just talking about day-to-day routines or the expertise she commanded, experiments and any problems. She could even bullshit and talk about how sometimes she felt she could die at any moment just to add a bit of danger and excitement in to the mix.
Book deals certain. Maybe some TV special on Discovery or something, or a short in something re
275 Million Miles, Lightspeed for 24 Minutes (Score:1)
So, 665 days in space - I did some googling, and some calculating - any of which may be wrong or wildly off base. But consider this:
The International Space Station orbits the earth at a speed of ~4.76 miles per second.
Multiplying this out, here are the miles traveled by Peggy Whitson:
60*60*24*665*4.76 = 273,490,560
Almost 275 million miles.
186282 = miles traveled by light in one second
273490560/186282 = 1468 // number of light seconds Whitson's travel represents
Whitson has traveled a distance equivalent to t
Imagine the frequent flyer miles (Score:2)
And ... (Score:2)