Since 1986, Dr. Harris has served the space program, at NASA Ames Space Flight Center, NASA Johnson Space Flight Center and NASA Headquarters in various roles as research scientist, flight surgeon, astronaut, and advisor. During his NASA career, Dr. Bernard Harris conducted research in musculoskeletal physiology and clinical investigations of space adaptation, where he developed in-flight medical devices to extend Astronaut stays in space.

A veteran astronaut for more than thirty years, Harris served as mission specialist on STS-55 and was the Payload Commander on STS-63. He has logged more than 438 hours and traveled more than 7.2 million miles in space.

On February 9, 1995, Harris became the first African American to perform an extra-vehicular activity during the second of his two Space Shuttle flights.

Peggy Whitson, Ph.D., grew up on a farm outside of Beaconsfield, Iowa, with her siblings and parents, who were farmers. She decided to become an astronaut after she watched the first moon landing on television as a child in 1969.

As an astronaut, she flew on three NASA long-duration space flights and served as commander of Axiom Mission 2 (Ax-2), accumulating 675 days in space, more than any other American astronaut or woman astronaut in the world.

Whitson has more than 38 years of space and science experience combined with NASA and Axiom Space. Throughout her career, she has held various positions, including NASA’s Chief of the Astronaut Office, two-time Commander of the International Space Station (ISS), Chair of NASA’s Astronaut Selection Board, NASA Operations Branch Chief, NASA Deputy Division Chief for both Medical Sciences and the Astronaut Office, and co-chair of the US/Russian Mission Science Working Group.