IOWA-BORN ASTRONAUT PEGGY WHITSON AND THREE CREWMATES ARE PREPARING FOR TUESDAY MORNING’S LAUNCH ABOARD A SPACE-X FALCON 9 ROCKET HEADED FOR THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION.
CALLING HERSELF A “SCIENCE NERD,” THE 65-YEAR-OLD WHITSON SAYS THE TWO-WEEK AXIOM SPACE MISSION WILL BE PACKED WITH SOME 60 EXPERIMENTS TO CONDUCT ABOARD THE ORBITING STATION.
https://kscj.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/WHITSON1.mp3
WHITSON1 OC……. “TECHNOLOGY DEMONSTRATIONS” :17
WHITSON IS DIRECTOR OF HUMAN SPACEFLIGHT AT AXIOM SPACE AND THIS AX-4 MISSION IS HER SECOND WITH THE PRIVATE, HOUSTON-BASED FIRM.
SHE FLEW THREE MISSIONS WITH NASA PRIOR TO RETIRING FROM THE AGENCY IN 2018 AND IS CONSIDERED AMERICA’S MOST EXPERIENCED ASTRONAUT.
WHITSON SAYS SHE’S THRILLED TO BE RETURNING TO THE I-S-S FOR THIS VENTURE.
https://kscj.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/WHITSON2.mp3
WHITSON2 OC…….. “CELL GROWTH” ;19
TO DATE, NO DIABETIC HAS EVER GONE INTO ORBIT.
https://kscj.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/WHITSON3.mp3
WHITSON3 OC…….. “LITTLE BIT MORE” :19
WHITSON IS MISSION COMMANDER, AND HER THREE TEAMMATES HAIL FROM DIFFERENT COUNTRIES: INDIA, HUNGARY, AND POLAND.
WHITSON REVEALED THE MISSION’S STUFFED MASCOT, A FUZZY WHITE SWAN WITH A BLACK-AND-YELLOW BEAK NAMED JOY, WILL BE THEIR “ZERO-GRAVITY INDICATOR,” AS IT WILL FLOAT AROUND IN THE SPACEX DRAGON CAPSULE ONCE THEY LEAVE THE EARTH’S ATMOSPHERE.
https://kscj.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/WHITSON4.mp3
WHITSON4 OC……”SPACE EXPLORATION” :20
WHITSON, WHO GREW UP ON A FARM NEAR BEACONSFIELD, IOWA; HAS SPENT 675 DAYS IN ORBIT, MORE TIME THAN ANY OTHER WOMAN ASTRONAUT.
THE LAUNCH OF AX-4 IS SCHEDULED FOR 7:22 AM CENTRAL TIME ON TUESDAY FROM THE KENNEDY SPACE CENTER IN FLORIDA.
RADIO IOWA/ NASA FILE PHOTO
The post WHITSON TO HEAD BACK INTO SPACE appeared first on KSCJ 1360.
