Environment & Science

Montana NASA Astronaut Sets Record For Longest Spaceflight By A Woman

Yellowstone Public Radio | By Associated Press
Published December 30, 2019 at 5:51 PM MST
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Email
NASA astronaut Christina Koch handles media bags that help manufacture organ-like tissues using a 3-D biological printer in this Dec. 22, 2019 image.
NASA Johnson

A U.S. astronaut has set a record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman. NASA officials say Christina Koch of Livingston, Montana on Saturday broke the 288-day record set by former space station commander Peggy Whitson.

The 40-year-old electrical engineer has been in space since March 15.

She is expected to spend about 11 months on board the International Space Station, falling short of astronaut Scott Kelly's 340-day U.S. record.

A Russian cosmonaut holds the world record at 15 months on a single mission aboard the former Mir space station in the mid-1990s.

Environment & ScienceYPR NewsNASAChristina KochPeggy WhitsonScott Kelly
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Email
Associated Press
The Associated Press is one of the largest and most trusted sources of independent newsgathering, supplying a steady stream of news to its members, international subscribers and commercial customers. AP is neither privately owned nor government-funded; instead, it's a not-for-profit news cooperative owned by its American newspaper and broadcast members.
See stories by Associated Press