NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson becomes oldest woman in space

NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson added to her record-breaking career by becoming the oldest woman in space.

Her mission to the International Space Station (ISS) launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Friday, Nov. 18 (Kazakh time.)

At 56 years old, Whitson broke the record previous held by Barbara Morgan. John Glenn still holds the record for oldest person in space at 77.

Whitson was joined by Russian cosmonaut Oleg Novitskiy and French astronaut Thomas Pesquet. She will serve as commander of the ISS during the six-month mission.

Whitson became the first woman to serve as commander of the ISS during her last mission from 2007-2008. She is also expected to break the U.S. record of 534 days in space during her current trip.