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DES MOINES, Iowa (KCCI) -- Iowa-born astronaut Peggy Whitson is no stranger to breaking barriers. She holds the record as NASA astronaut with the most cumulative days in space and became the first-ever female commander of the international space station. With a career full of accomplishments, she still continues to give credit to her Iowa roots.
"My work ethic was ingrained in me by my parents, you know, and working every day on the farm, solving problems," Whitson said.
Whitson grew up in Ringgold County. The daughter of a soybean farmer, Whitson says she learned the value of hard work and perseverance from her parents.
"I carried it with me throughout all those years," Whitson said.
It wasn't until Whitson graduated high school that NASA selected the first female astronauts...and her dreams of heading to space began to look more and more like reality.
In the years leading up to her first mission, Whitson said more doors were often shut than opened. She applied 10 times before finally being selected to interview.
"Looking back at my career, it was those ten years of rejection that gave me a lot of skills that became extremely important, for me as an astronaut, but mostly as a leader," Whitson said.
Whitson will serve as commander on the upcoming Axiom Mission 4, along with astronauts from Poland, India and Hungary. The countries have not returned to space for more than 40 years, and for the first time their astronauts will step foot on the International Space Station.
Whitson says this mission could inspire a whole new generation of astronauts. For those that shoot for the stars and follow in her footsteps, she shared some advice.
"Follow your dreams. You've got to push yourself and, you know, be very determined about your approach and getting to your dream may not be the straight line that you think it will be. I had to go on several diversions along my way, but getting there is important, and follow your heart," Whitson said.
