Glass Ceiling Shattered in Space

It's been 33 years since the first female astronaut, Valentina Tereshkova, went into space. Since then females have moved up the ladder to bigger roles in space programs.
Peggy Whitson of the United States has became the first woman to take charge at the International Space Station. She is commander of the 16th mission and will oversee the next phase of construction.

Whitson comes from a farming family. She was born in 1960 in Mt. Ayr, Iowa. She's got a doctorate in biochemisty and is a biochemistry researcher. She joined NASA in 1989 in their Biomedical Operations and Research Branch. She joined the astronaut program in 1996 and has worked her way up the ranks. Previous to taking command of the International Space Station, she had spent 184 days there in 2002.

Although NASA has had female shuttle commanders, the ISS has had only male commanders since its inception. Looks like the glass ceiling has just been shattered!