Peggy Whitson: Records from Outer Space

 

Peggy Whitson has just broken record for the longest amount of time in space by a US astronaut. Currently serving an extended stay aboard the International Space Station, Whitson passed the prior record of 534 days, 2 hours and 48 minutes of cumulative time in space at 1.27am (ET) on April 24th.  When she finally returns to Earth, she will have spent over 650 days in space.

Whitson is already the first female astronaut to command the space station and also holds the record for the most spacewalks by a female (7).  She is also the oldest woman to have traveled to space.  In addition to her new time-in-orbit mark, Whitson has spent more than 53 hours outside an airlock, engaged in spacewalks that added modules to the space station, among other duties.

Whitson is an American biochemist and astronaut.  Raised on a small working farm in the outskirts of a 20-person town in Iowa, she decided to become an astronaut at age 9 when she watched Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong walking on the moon on TV.  When Sally Ride was named as the first female American astronaut the same year Whitson graduated from high school (1978), that sealed the deal. She sold chickens along the way to get her pilot’s license.  

She joined Johnson Space Center at NASA as National Research Council Resident Research Associate after completing a PhD and postdoctoral fellowship in biochemistry at Rice University.  She was 26.  Ten years later and now thirty-six, she was selected as an Astronaut Candidate.  Following more years of rigorous training, she took her first trip to space in June 2002 as a flight engineer.  She went aboard the space shuttle Endeavour on Expedition 5. It launched from Kennedy Space Center on June 5 and docked at the International Space Station on June 7. After spending 184 days in space they returned to Earth in December.  During these six months on the board of International Space Station, Whitson conducted twenty-one experiments in microgravity and human life sciences. In addition, she installed commercial payloads and hardware systems. To install shielding on a service module and to deploy a science payload, she had to perform a four-hour and 25-minute Orlan spacewalk.

In 2007, she made her second trip serving as commander of the Expedition 16 mission aboard spacecraft Soyuz-TMA, launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. After spending nearly 192 days in space, the team returned to Earth aboard Soyuz TMA-11.  She is the first female commander to lead the space station.  Two others commanded the space shuttle during the life of that program, Eileen Collins and Pamela Melroy. 

Over her career she has served as project scientist of the Shuttle-Mir Program, Co-Chair of the U.S.-Russian Mission Science Working Group, chief of the Astronaut Office where she was entrusted with the responsibility of supervising all the activities of NASA astronauts.  Whitson was the first non-military personnel to hold that position. She has also served as Deputy Chief of NASA Astronaut Office and Chief of the Station Operations Branch, Astronaut Office.

Whitson’s most recent trip began in November 2016 as part of Expedition 50/51. She ws selected as the commander of Expedition 51 for her second tour as commander.  Following a three-month extension of the mission, she is now expected back to Earth in September.

In one interview following the most recent milestone, Whitson said “Breaking records has never been my goal. I think it’s important that we’re continually pushing our limits and showing that we can extend beyond what we have done before.  One of the most fun things to do while living here is to just be here,”

The Women of Fox News

 

Seems incontrovertible at this point that Fox News network has a big problem with sexual harassment. Also, it is clear that it has been going on since the beginning.  Roger Ailes, the network’s powerful Chief Executive and founder resigned last year following a maelstrom of sexual harassment suits and allegations, some of which have been settled while new ones have been filed.  As of now, more than 2 dozen women have accused the former media don of sexual harassment taking place over the last three decades.

Allegations and rumors had been going on for so long that Ailes’ behavior was considered common knowledge. But it wasn’t until Gretchen Carlson, former anchor of Fox & Friends filed a lawsuit, that the owners of the network, the Murdoch family, stepped in and initiated an investigation.  Carlson had recorded conversations with Ailes for over a year providing clear evidence of the ongoing harassment. That investigation resulted in the Ailes resignation.  But by that time countless women had suffered as a result of a culture steeped in intimidation, entitlement, indecency, misogyny and grotesque abuses of power.  Carlson and her lawyer sued Ailes personally to circumvent a clause in employment agreements at Fox that stipulated that employment disputes be resolved in private arbitration. 

Of course, that culture led to the exodus of many talented women. The network’s top-rated female anchor, Megyn Kelly, left Fox News for NBC earlier this year after she alleged in her memoir that Ailes made unwanted sexual advances toward her.  Greta Van Susteren also left the network after Ailes’ departure; her refreshingly unremarkable hairstyle and pantsuits stood out from the tight dresses and long locks of most of the women of Fox News.  This was allowed to go on so long, taking a toll on so many women because Fox News was by now the number one cable news network and Ailes was viewed as the primary architect - untouchable and unassailable in his role.  Single-handedly able to make or destroy careers.  The fact that these incidents of harassment were so common may have contributed to why no one at Fox came forward or filed a lawsuit until now.  It was hard to complain about something that was so normalized.

It took the unbelievable courage and cunning of a few women willing to stand up to the bullying to break through and shine the antiseptic light of publicity on the fetid culture eating away at Fox News.  To do so meant standing up to intimidation, denials from Ailes and his supporters at Fox and threats of countersuits.

But signs that the women’s efforts are making a difference are adding up.  Ailes is gone (albeit with a $40 M payout and a nominal title of “Advisor”).  After the New York Times recently reported that host Bill O’Reilly and 21st Century Fox had paid out $13 million to five women in exchange for their silence on allegations of sexual harassment, 60 advertisers pulled out of supporting the show.  And O’Reilly is on vacation, maybe permanently.  The shareholder law firm Scott & Scott is investigating 21st Century Fox to “determine whether Fox’s Officers and Directors have breached their fiduciary duties.”   And The Fox News Channel is under investigation by federal prosecutors to determine whether it broke securities law by masking past settlement payments to victims of Ailes and others at Fox as salary and compensation, to avoid disclosure of the payments and the harassment.

But perhaps in the best sign of winning yet, for the last three weeks in a row, and the first time ever, MSNBC’s “The Rachel Maddow Show” has outperformed O'Reilly in the 25- to 54-year-old demographic. Maddow’s crisp, intelligent and deeply researched show is building a significant following and beginning to loosen OReilly’s grip on that hour slot in cable news. 

#BeBoldForChange: US Women's Hockey Team

 

For 14 months, the U.S.A. Women's National Hockey team was locked in a battle with the sport's governing body, USA Hockey.  They were asking for equal pay and benefits with their male counterparts and fair treatment (including benefits such as child care, maternity leave and more support for youth development in the sport). After initially failing to reach a deal, the dispute culminated with the team threatening to boycott the International Ice Hockey Federation world championship in Plymouth, Mich. The United States is the three-time defending champion and is currently ranked No. 1.

Finally with just days left before the tournament Friday, the women's team agreed to a four-year deal.  While the complete financial terms were not released, it was widely reported that the four-year deal could earn each team member more than $100,000 in an Olympic year and about $70,000 in non-Olympic years.  Currently U.S.A. Hockey provides each player with $1,000 per month during the six-month Olympic residency every four years. The players also receive up to $2,000 per month in training stipends from the United States Olympic Committee year-round, even in non-Olympic years. Some national team players compete in the National Women’s Hockey League, where salaries, which range from $10,000 to $26,000 a year following a reduction last year.  Rigorous year-round training sessions makes it impossible to hold down a traditional full-time job while on the team.

For years, the women’s team, who have won gold in six of the last eight World Championships, have made do with much, much less, while working just as hard as their male counterparts. USA Hockey has a responsibility to the grow the game of hockey, not just for men, but for women as well, and that’s something they have clearly neglected.  According the release, USA Hockey spends about $3.5 million to support boys who are participating in the National Team Development Program. Until this new deal, there was no such program for girls, and the Women’s National Team only plays in 9 games a year when there isn’t Olympic competition, even though they’ve asked for more games to be put on the schedule.

The slights - big and small - added up to an insidious pattern.  Before the teams left for Sochi for the 2014 Winter Olympics, USA Hockey hosted a press conference to unveil the sweaters that both the men’s and women’s teams would wear. Despite being the gold medal favorites, the women’s team wasn’t invited to attend the uniform unveiling, only the men were. The women learned about it on TV, along with everyone else. If you need reminding, the 2014 men’s team failed to medal that year, while the women took home silver after a heartbreaking loss to Team Canada in of the best hockey games ever played.

It was a financial as well moral victory for the team and for women's sports in general.  The governing body had tried to force the team's hand by seaking out replacement players replacement players to play in the tournament if team members followed through with their boycott.  That effort was met by a public and vociferous "No" from many of those approached.  

Be Bold For Change. That was the players’ rallying cry in the fight.  As far as wages, the men’s team members don’t get paid any more than the women. But, the U.S. men’s Olympic teams --- starting when the NHL first halted its season to allow players to compete in the Winter Games in 1998 --- have been comprised exclusively of NHL players. And even at the annual Men’s World Championship, about two-thirds of the team is made up of NHL players.  Since NHL players make millions, there’s no need for USA Hockey to kick in more money.  The men’s team, however, does have an edge in some benefits.   USA Hockey covers paid transportation for guests, and those guests are allowed to stay at the players' hotel for IIHF events --- like the World Championships --- and receive meals and game tickets. Players on the women’s team stated that they are not allowed to bring guests and are forced to share rooms with teammates. The men also travel to games in business class, while the women fly coach.

The team received significant support from the player's unions of the NHL, NFL, NBA and MLB.  Many players on the National Men's team indicated a willingness to also boycott the games in support of the Women's team.  Dunkin Donuts, a major sponsor, put pressure on USA Hockey to come to terms.  Other sponsors such as Nike, Enterprise, Marriott and Liberty Mutual were silent.  Sixteen US Senators also penned a letter to the executive director in support of the team's demands. The letter was signed by: Elizabeth Warren (@SenWarren) and Edward Markey (@SenMarkey) of Massachusetts, Patty Murray (@PattyMurray) of Washington, Dianne Feinstein (@SenFeinstein) of California, Patrick Leahy (@SenatorLeahy) of Vermont, Richard Blumenthal (@SenBlumenthal) of Connecticut, Maggie Hassan (@Senator Hassan) of New Hampshire, Sherrod Brown (@SenSherrodBrown) of Ohio, Thomas Carper (@SenatorCarper) of Delaware, Tammy Baldwin (@tammybaldwin) of Wisconsin, Robert Menendez (@SenatorMenendez) and Cory Booker (@CoryBooker) of New Jersey, Mazie Hirono (@maziehirono) of Hawaii, Bob Casey (@SenBobCasey) of Pennsylvania, Kirsten Gillibrand (@SenGillibrand) of New York and Amy Klobuchar (@amyklobuchar) of Minnesota.