A new record made by US astronaut Peggy Whitson by staying 665 days in the orbit

Now-a-days it is everyone’s dream to be in space. There are many big players in this world who are trying to go and walk in space. But to be in space is very costly and risky and it is not possible for ordinary people to invest that much amounts. But time will come when space will be accessible for everyone. No doubt it will take hundreds of years. 

On Saturday, a new record made by US astronaut Peggy Whitson and two other crewmates. They spent 665 days in orbit in International Space Station which is revolving around the earth. The distance between ISS and earth is approximately 250 miles. They came back on earth safely and landed in Kazakhstan. It is said that ISS is a big laboratory of $100 billion in space where different types of experiments occurs. 

In an interview held on Monday the biochemist said while in-flight,

“I feel great, I love working up here. It’s one of the most gratifying jobs I have ever had.”

Peggy Whitson participated in many experiments held during the period of her third mission in ISS. Those experiments consist of the study of lung tissue infected by cancer cells and bone cells. She also made a new record by walking in space four times. She already had six spacewalks previously.

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Image credit NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson is seen during a spacewalk

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Whitson with her two crewmates were sent in ISS in November. Three months ago her two crewmates came back to earth while Whitson had to stay there to take the place of the staff retrenched by Russia. 

The astronauts who landed in Kazakhstan on Saturday were Peggy Whitson, Jack Fischer, Fyodor Yurchikhin and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. They were serving on the ISS since the month of June.  

In another interview Whitson said,

"I'm looking forward to seeing friends and family."

"But the thing I've been thinking about the most, kind of been fantasizing about a little bit, are foods that I want to make, vegetables that I want to saute, things that I've missed up here."

A record of 534 day stay in space was broken by Whitson in April. This time she spent 665 days in the orbit which was beaten by seven Russian astronauts. They have spent longer time in space. Gennady Padalka is one of them who made a world record by staying 878 days in space. 

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Image credit A crowd helps astronaut Peggy Whitson out of her spacecraft

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In 1996, Whitson started to serve as an astronaut and became the first woman who governed the ISS. She has also worked as chief of the NASA Astronaut Corps.

Whitson said,

"I am working on paying forward some of the advice and mentoring that I received on my journey, in hopes that one day those young people will do the same and look back on a life in which they leapt at the opportunities and broke their own records."

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