NASA’s Christina Koch Sets Female Spaceflight Record

NASA astronaut Christina Koch handles science hardware stowed inside a cargo transfer bag retrieved from the SpaceX Dragon resupply ship (via NASA)

NASA astronaut Christina Koch has made history—again.

Two months after completing the first all-female spacewalk, the 40-year-old electrical engineer set a new record for longest single spaceflight by a woman.

On Saturday, Koch eclipsed the 288 days former rocketeer Peggy Whitson spent in space from 2016-17.

With two months left in her mission, Koch is slated to spend a total 328 days (nearly 11 months) on board the Space Station before returning to Earth.

Her protracted mission comes in just shy of the longest spaceflight by a NASA astronaut (340 days)—an achievement set by Scott Kelly during his one-year stint in 2015-16.

The world record is 15 months, set in the 1990s by a Russian cosmonaut aboard the former Mir space station.

“It feels awesome,” Koch said in October, when she learned of the extension (and what it would mean for the ISS record).

“It’s truly a dream come true to know that I can continue to work on the program that I valued so highly my whole life,” she continued. “To be able to contribute to that—to give my best every day to that—for as long as possible is a true honor and a dream come true.”

Koch arrived at the International Space Station in March, and is scheduled to remain in orbit until February 2020.

NASA astronaut Andrew Morgan, set to leave Earth on July 20, will also enjoy an extended stay aboard the ISS.

These king-sized missions, according to the federal agency, will help scientists gather additional data about the effects of long-duration human spaceflight beyond the normal six-month expedition.

The space program has spent 50 years collecting data on astronaut health and performance, most recently from Whitson and Kelly, who, along with his retired-astronaut brother Mark Kelly, is also part of a NASA twins study.

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