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BAIKONUR, KAZAKHSTAN – A Russian spacecraft soared from the Kazakh steppe toward the international space station Wednesday, carrying a Malaysian, a Russian, and Peggy Whitson, the American who will become the first woman to command the orbital outpost.
The Soyuz-FG rocket lifted off on schedule.
Whitson, of Beaconsfield, Iowa, is making her second trip to the station. A day before the launch, a Russian space official presented her with a traditional Kazakh whip to “manage her crew.” But former space station astronaut Michael Fincke said Whitson, 47, would not need it to lead a successful mission.
“She inspires people,” he said.
The Associated Press
