Peggy Whitson, the first woman to command the International Space Station (ISS), on Monday broke the record for the most time accumulated in orbit by an American, surpassing the record of 534 days, 2 hours and 48 minutes set last year by Jeffrey Williams.

She was already the world's most experienced woman astronaut and spacewalker and, at 57, the oldest woman in space. Here's a look back at her barrier-breaking career.

Above: Whitson speaks to President Trump on April 24, 2017, from aboard the ISS as astronaut Jack Fischer looks on.