Last week, NASANational Aeronautics and Space Administration astronaut Peggy Whitson, who holds the U.S. record for most cumulative time in space, retired from the agency. Whitson holds a number of records that include becoming NASA’s first space station science officer in 2002 and, in 2008, becoming the first female commander of the space station.

During her time in space, Whitson took part in a number of ISSInternational Space Station National Lab investigations including transferring cells from growing bacterial colonies on petri dishes into miniature test tubes, something that had never been done before in space. Read more about the groundbreaking science involving DNA sequencing, microbes and the the ISS National Lab-sponsored Genes in SpaceAn annual national research competition for students in grades 7 through 12 to design pioneering biotechnology experiments that are conducted by astronauts on the space station. The program is funded by Boeing and miniPCR bio and supported by the ISS National Laboratory® and New England BioLabs. program:

• Students Pioneer DNA Research in Space
• Student Experiments Explore DNA in Space
• Exploring DNA in Space
• Microbes on the International Space Station
• Scientist Astronaut Leads Research in Space for Life on Earth
• Sequencing the Unknown