Whitson was born in Mt. Ayr, Iowa, in 1960, but considers Beaconsfield, Iowa as her hometown. She received her bachelor’s of science degree in biology and chemistry from Iowa Wesleyan College (Mount Pleasant, Iowa) in 1981 and her doctorial degree in biochemistry from Rice University (Houston, Texas) in 1985.

She came to NASA in 1986 as a researcher in space medicine. She was selected as an astronaut candidate in 1996. After two years of training, Whitson served for two years as the lead for the Crew Test Support Team in Russia.

She was one of the two flight engineers for the Expedition 5 crew to the space station from June to December in 2002. When it launched on June 5, 2002, aboard STS-111, it became her first trip to space.

While at the space station, Whitson installed the Mobile Base System, the S1 truss segment, and the P1 truss segment using the remote manipulator system (RMS), along with performing two space walks (or, extravehicular activities, EVAs). She also conducted over twenty experiments in human life sciences and microgravity sciences. At this time, Whitson became NASA’s first space station science officer.

After her space flight, she began the position as Deputy Chief of the Astronaut Office at the Johnson Space Center. Whitson later became the Chief of the Station Operations Branch, also with the Astronaut Office. She also trained as backup ISS Commander for Expedition 14, which occurred from September 2006 to April 2007.

Whitsom will be launched into space on a Russian Soyuz spacecraft from the Bailonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, along with Expedition 16 flight engineer Yuri Malenchenko and spaceflight participant Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor, who is from Malaysia,

While commander of the Expedition 16 mission, NASA space shuttle flights are expected to deliver European and Japanese science modules, along with an external Canadian robotic device. A solar power module will also be moved from the center of the space station to one of its ends.

Whitson, who will become the first U.S. woman to lead a long-duration spaceflight, hopes to inspire young women to pursue science and engineering degrees. She said, in a news article by the Houston Chronicle, “I would hope we attract more young women into the sciences, mathematics and engineering. I think it's important for young women to be a key part of (space) exploration."

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