Question 1

True or false: Before becoming an astronaut, Whitson worked as a biochemist and studied bone density in space.

Accepted Answer

True. She earned a PhD in biochemistry and researched bone loss in microgravity before selection as an astronaut.

Question 2

True or false: Whitson was the first woman to command the International Space Station twice.

Accepted Answer

True. She commanded ISS during Expeditions 16 and 51, making her the first woman to hold the role twice.

Question 3

True or false: Peggy Whitson once played a guitar solo on the ISS that was broadcast live to Earth.

Accepted Answer

False. She played a keyboard on ISS, but no guitar solo—astronaut Chris Hadfield is famous for his guitar covers.

Question 4

True or false: Peggy Whitson holds the record for most spacewalks by a female astronaut, with 10.

Accepted Answer

True. She performed 10 spacewalks totaling over 60 hours, the most by any woman as of 2024.

Question 5

True or false: Peggy Whitson has spent more cumulative time in space than any other American astronaut.

Accepted Answer

True. She holds the U.S. record with 665 days in space across three missions, surpassing all other American astronauts.

Question 6

True or false: Whitson was the first astronaut to fly on both a Russian Soyuz and a SpaceX Crew Dragon.

Accepted Answer

False. She flew on Soyuz, but never on Crew Dragon—that milestone belongs to other astronauts like Bob Behnken.

Question 7

True or false: Whitson retired from NASA at age 60, making her the oldest active female astronaut at the time.

Accepted Answer

True. She retired in 2018 at age 58, but was the oldest woman in space at 57 during her last mission.

Question 8

True or false: Peggy Whitson once grew and ate fresh lettuce on the ISS, but it gave her food poisoning.

Accepted Answer

False. She did grow lettuce on ISS, but no food poisoning occurred—astronauts safely ate space-grown veggies.

Peggy Whitson Trivia Questions