20 good things that happened in 2017

13. Peggy Whitson broke spaceflight records

Though we’re not currently in the rocket race days of the Cold War, the United States and other countries with space programs are still making progress and breaking significant records. Most of this record-breaking will take place on the International Space Station (ISS), a large station in low-Earth orbit. The ISS is expected to be in use until 2028.

U.S. astronaut Peggy Whitson broke multiple records this year during her time on the ISS. She became the station’s first female commander in its nearly 20 years of operation. During this tour, Whitson also became the oldest woman in space, at age 56.

She also broke the U.S. record for time spent in space (a total of 665 days) and for the longest single spaceflight by a woman. Whitson surpassed the previous record, held by Samantha Cristoforetti, an Italian astronaut who spent 199 days and 16 hours in space. Whitson’s record now stands at 290 days straight, all while circling our planet at more than 17,000 miles per hour.

Whitson didn’t get to where she is by luck or accident, however. She earned a doctorate in biochemistry from Rice University in 1985, for one. After a post-doctoral fellowship at Rice, Whitson then began working at Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. She then worked for NASA in various capacities as a research biochemist. She took on duties as an assistant professor, focusing on biochemistry and genetics.

In 1996, Whitson was selected as an astronaut candidate. During her training, she also served as commander of the NEEMO 5 mission aboard the Aquarius underwater lab. Whitson and her crew lived underwater for 14 days, echoing her later stint aboard the ISS.