STEVE INSKEEP, HOST: Good morning. I'm Steve Inskeep with a woman who's not breaking a glass ceiling exactly but is going into space. Peggy Whitson is about to become the oldest woman ever in space. She's heading to the International Space Station on a launch scheduled today. Early next year, she turns 57 while still in orbit. Although that makes her the oldest woman, she has a while to catch up to the oldest man because John Glenn was 77 years old when he flew on the Space Shuttle Discovery back in 1998. You're listening to MORNING EDITION.
Whitson heads to the International Space Station on Thursday's launch. Early next year she turns 57 while still in orbit. John Glenn is the oldest man in space. He was 77 at the time.