Kellie Gerardi Explained

Kellie Gerardi
Birth Date:16 February 1989[1]
Birth Place:Jupiter, Florida
Alma Mater:
Employer:Palantir Technologies
Known For:Citizen science
Children:1

Kellie Gerardi (born February 16, 1989) is an American commercial astronaut who is known for a sub-orbital spaceflight with Virgin Galactic as a payload specialist in 2023. She has worked at Palantir Technologies since 2015, where she is a lead on the company's mission operations team. She is also a popular science communicator and a social media influencer.

Gerardi was among the first 100 women in space. She was also a candidate for the Mars One mission. She is scheduled to lead an all-female sub-orbital spaceflight with Virgin Galactic in 2026.

Early life and education

Gerardi graduated from Jupiter Community High School in 2007, in the town of Jupiter, Florida, where she was born. She said she watched space shuttles launch from Cape Canaveral from her bedroom window.[2] [3] She studied documentary film making at Barnard College and transferred to New York University (NYU), graduating in 2011 with a Bachelor of Arts in film.

Career

Gerardi became a media specialist at the Commercial Spaceflight Federation, a commercial spaceflight lobbying group, in 2012.[4] She also worked in business development at Masten Space Systems and has done work in copywriting and communications.[5]

In 2015, she began working for Palantir Technologies, a Peter Thiel software company, as a technical project manager for its philantropic clients., she worked as a lead on the company's mission operations team, which provides customers like the United States Space Force with logistical and analytical support with the use of its controversial data analysis software, Gotham.[6] [7]

Gerardi says she is professionally driven to democratize access to space and expand "Earth’s economic sphere within the commercial space industry".[8] In a 2015 contribution to HuffPost, she said reduced costs associated with spaceflight would extend the economy into space with lunar and low-earth orbit business opportunities.[9]

Citizen science and commercial spaceflight research

After meeting Richard Garriott at The Explorers Club, where she worked the coat check, in 2014, Gerardi decided to join as a member. She later served on the board of directors, and is on the Truman National Security Project's Defense Council.[10]

In 2014, Gerardi was accepted as candidate for the Mars One mission, an organization that planned to colonize Mars as a reality television show, which gained her national attention. The organization received harsh criticism from the scientific community and went bankrupt before a mission could be conducted.[11] [12] In February 2014, she spent two months as a crew member at the Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS), a Mars analog habitat operated by the Mars Society. In 2015, she wrote an essay in Popular Mechanics about her experience at the MDRS, which included wearing a space suit.[13] [14] In an interview with Popular Science, she said they tested the ability to grow hops in a simulated Martian regolith using Earthen soil as a control.[15] [16]

In 2017, Gerardi joined a private international education and research facility called the International Institute for Astronautical Sciences (IIAS).[17] Gerardi completed a program called "Project PoSSUM", which stands for polar suborbital science in the upper mesosphere,[18] which includes study on topics such as bioastronautics and training in high altitude flights to experience weightlessness.[19] Gerardi is IIAS's director of human spaceflight operations.[20]

On November 2, 2023, Gerardi flew the sub-orbital spaceflight operated by the space tourism company Virgin Galactic, Galactic 05, as a payload specialist doing scientific research with Alan Stern, a private passenger also on board.[21] The trip lasted around two hours from take off to return.[22] [23] Onboard, she collected research data for three experiments focused on the physiology of microgravity developed by the National Research Council of Canada and sponsored by IIAS.[24] Gerardi performed a fluid dynamic test for future designs of syringes and humidifiers specific to spaceflight.[25] She wore a smart undergarment that collects biometric data during her flight developed by Canadian startup Hexoskin Astroskin and the Canadian Space Agency. She also wore a Continuous Glucose Monitor (CGM) to passively measure glucose levels to investigate any relation between high-altitude flight and insulin resistance. She was the first social media influencer in space and among the first 100 women.

In June 2024, Virgin Galactic announced Gerardi as a crew member on a second research spaceflight scheduled for as early as 2026 aboard the Company’s Delta Class spaceship. The mission is designed to enable IIAS to introduce new research while also expanding upon the results from the Galactic 05 mission. Gerardi will be leading an all-female, international research space flight crew from IIAS.[26]

Science communication and social media

Gerardi is a popular science communicator and social media influencer.[27] As of March 2024, she had over 764,000 followers on TikTok[28] and over 500,000 followers on Instagram. She has a brand partnership with Sun Chips.[29] She began her social media career as a teenager on YouTube filming popular Christmas content of her family, when the site was new.[30]

In 2021 and 2023, she walked in New York Fashion Week shows, wearing her navy space suit[31] and a space-themed dress she designed, respectively.[32] In 2021, Gerardi partnered with NASA to host the first all-female episode of NASA Science Live during Women's History Month.[33]

In 2020, Mango Publishing published her first book, Not Necessarily Rocket Science: A Beginner's Guide To Life in the Space Age.[34] [35] She has also created children's books about space called Luna Muna.[36]

Personal life

In 2015, Gerardi's space-themed wedding was officiated by astronaut Michael López-Alegría, a commander of the International Space Station.[37] Gerardi lives in Jupiter, Florida with her husband and their daughter Delta V, who was named for delta-v, the quantitative measure of a change in velocity.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Another year, another orbit. ✨ So endlessly thankful for all my friends, family, colleagues, and supporters who continue to make this adventure so exciting and fulfilling. #29 #birthday . Instagram . December 24, 2023 . February 16, 2018.
  2. Web site: Staggs . Valerie . 2024-03-05 . Reaching for the Stars with Kellie Gerardi . 2024-06-02 . Stuart Magazine . en-US . 2024-06-02 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240602083946/https://www.stuartmagazine.com/stuart-life/people/reaching-for-the-stars-with-kellie-gerardi/ . live .
  3. Web site: Bender . Maddie . 24 August 2020 . Kellie Gerardi might be the first social media star in space . 2020-10-20 . Inverse . en . 2024-09-14 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240914171814/https://www.inverse.com/innovation/kellie-gerardi-new-pioneers . live .
  4. Web site: Jr . Tom Huddleston . 2021-07-20 . How millennial mom and TikTok influencer Kellie Gerardi became a 'citizen astronaut' who's going to space with Virgin Galactic . 2024-06-02 . CNBC . en . 2024-06-02 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240602083945/https://www.cnbc.com/2021/07/20/kellie-gerardi-prepares-for-first-spaceflight-with-virgin-galactic.html . live .
  5. Web site: Glester . Andrew . 2020-12-14 . Aspiring astronaut and Space Age ambassador . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240914171817/https://physicsworld.com/a/aspiring-astronaut-and-space-age-ambassador/ . 2024-09-14 . Physics World . en-GB.
  6. Building Software for Space . April 13, 2022 . Video . Palantir . YouTube.
  7. Web site: Lin . Belle . Meet the 32-year-old Palantir employee and TikTok star who will soon become one of the youngest mothers to ever travel to space . 2024-06-02 . Business Insider . en-US . 2024-09-14 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240914171815/https://www.businessinsider.com/kellie-gerardi-palantir-employee-tiktok-virgin-galactic-astronaut-2021-6 . live .
  8. Web site: Gerardi . Kellie . 2014-03-13 . In 10 Years I Hope to Live on Mars . 2024-09-11 . HuffPost . en . 2024-09-11 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240911144436/https://www.huffpost.com/entry/in-10-years-i-hope-to-liv_b_4956982 . live .
  9. Web site: Gerardi . Kellie . 2015-05-08 . The Next Decade in Commercial Spaceflight . 2024-09-11 . HuffPost . en . 2024-09-14 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240914171815/https://www.huffpost.com/entry/the-next-decade-in-commercial-spaceflight_b_7204606 . live .
  10. Web site: Petersen . Carolyn Collins . 2023-11-16 . Virgin Galactic Flies Science Experiments to the Edge of Space . 2024-06-02 . Universe Today . en-US.
  11. Book: Seedhouse, Erik . Mars One . 2017 . Springer International Publishing . 978-3-319-44496-3 . Cham . en . 10.1007/978-3-319-44497-0 . 2024-06-02 . 2024-09-14 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240914171817/https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-319-44497-0 . live .
  12. Web site: Dickerson . Kelly . The company planning one-way trips to Mars will 'inevitably fall on its face' . 2024-06-02 . Business Insider . en-US . 2024-09-14 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240914171815/https://www.businessinsider.com/mars-one-finalist-reveals-selection-process-2015-3 . live .
  13. Web site: 2015-09-29 . What I Learned Living Through a Simulated Mars Mission . 2024-06-02 . Popular Mechanics . en-US . 2024-06-02 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240602160617/https://www.popularmechanics.com/space/moon-mars/g2190/simulated-trip-to-mars/ . live .
  14. Web site: March 5, 2015 . Signing Up for a Mission to Mars, and Planning to Never Return . 2024-06-02 . ABC News . en . 2024-06-02 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240602161759/https://abcnews.go.com/Technology/signing-mission-mars-planning-return/story?id=29392141 . live .
  15. Web site: Stone . Lillian . 2021-02-12 . Hypothetically, Astronauts Could Get Tanked On Mars-Brewed Space Beer . 2024-06-02 . The Takeout . en-US . 2024-06-02 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240602162202/https://www.thetakeout.com/can-you-brew-beer-in-space-1846259376/ . live .
  16. Web site: G . Sandra Gutierrez . 2021-02-05 . Can we brew our own beer on Mars? . 2024-06-02 . Popular Science . en-US . 2024-06-02 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240602162202/https://www.popsci.com/story/science/tales-brew-beer-on-mars/ . live .
  17. Web site: 2022-11-16 . Florida Tech students get a taste of space . 2024-06-02 . The Florida Tech Crimson . en . 2024-06-02 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240602083946/https://www.crimson.fit.edu/campuslife/florida-tech-students-get-a-taste-of-space/article_80f0946c-65d9-11ed-9a84-1763e7cd8b84.html . live .
  18. News: 2021-06-21 . 32-year-old researcher, first ‘social media influencer’ set to go to space, says ‘belong to new generation of astronauts’ . 2024-09-05 . The Times of India . 0971-8257 . 2021-07-11 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210711190033/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/32-year-old-researcher-first-social-media-influencer-set-to-go-to-space-says-belong-to-new-generation-of-astronauts/articleshow/83713168.cms . live .
  19. Web site: Reimuller . Jason . 2018-06-01 . Project PoSSUM Graduates Scientist-Astronaut Class 1801 at Embry-Riddle . 2024-09-05 . Project PoSSUM . en-US . 2023-04-08 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230408220102/https://projectpossum.org/project-possum-graduates-scientist-astronaut-class-1801-at-embry-riddle/ . live .
  20. Web site: Howell . Elizabeth Howell . June 21, 2024 . Virgin Galactic announces international crew for flight on new Delta class space plane . July 17, 2024 . . July 15, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240715154812/https://www.space.com/virgin-galactic-1st-irish-private-astronaut-delta-flight . live .
  21. Web site: Dinner . Josh . 2023-10-30 . Meet the crew of Virgin Galactic's 5th commercial spaceflight launching on Nov. 2 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240602083948/https://www.space.com/virgin-galactic-05-mission-meet-the-crew . 2024-06-02 . 2024-06-02 . Space.com . en.
  22. Web site: 2024-03-28 . SunChips Blasts Off With Astronaut Kellie Gerardi For Solar Eclipse . 2024-09-05 . Yahoo Entertainment . en-US . 2024-09-14 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240914171816/https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/sunchips-blasts-off-astronaut-kellie-231501503.html . live .
  23. Book: Seedhouse, Erik . 2024 . Springer Nature . 978-3-031-55606-7 . Switzerland . en.
  24. News: Harwood . William . November 2, 2023 . Virgin Galactic launches fifth commercial flight to sub-orbital space and back . November 27, 2023 . CBS News . November 21, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231121050048/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/virgin-galactic-unity-spaceplane-launch-alan-stern-kellie-gerardi/ . live .
  25. Web site: Etherington . Darrell . 2021-06-03 . Virgin Galactic to fly Kellie Gerardi to space on a dedicated research mission . 2024-06-02 . TechCrunch . en-US . 2024-06-02 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240602155845/https://techcrunch.com/2021/06/03/virgin-galactic-to-fly-kellie-gerardi-to-space-on-a-dedicated-research-mission/ . live .
  26. Web site: Empowering female scientists: Virgin Galactic partners with IIAS for all-female research mission . . July 15, 2024 . en . June 21, 2024 . July 15, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240715155011/https://www.financialexpress.com/business/defence-empowering-female-scientists-virgin-galactic-partners-with-iias-for-all-female-research-mission-3530781/ . live .
  27. Web site: Sprankles . Julie . Astronaut Mom Kellie Gerardi Wants Girls To Be Comfortable Taking Up Space . Scary Mommy . July 12, 2024 . en . July 3, 2024.
  28. Web site: @kelliegerardi . 2024-02-13 . TikTok . Profile . 2024-02-13 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240213051830/https://www.tiktok.com/@kelliegerardi?lang=en . live .
  29. Web site: SunChips Debuts an Ecplise-Inspired Bag of Chips with 2 Flavors In It . 2024-06-02 . Food & Wine . en.
  30. Web site: Glester . Andrew . Aspiring astronaut and Space Age ambassador . . December 14, 2020 . July 24, 2024 . July 7, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240707021837/https://physicsworld.com/a/aspiring-astronaut-and-space-age-ambassador/ . live .
  31. News: Gupta . Alisha Haridasani . 2021-09-12 . A Fashion Show With an Unexpected Focus: Sexual Assault Survivors . 2024-06-02 . The New York Times . en-US . 0362-4331 . 2021-10-18 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211018032405/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/12/us/sexual-violence-fashion-show-amanda-nguyen-rise.html . live .
  32. Web site: Smith . Jamie Davis . 2024-04-10 . What Astronaut Kellie Gerardi Packs When She Travels—By Airplane or Spaceship . 2024-06-02 . Thrillist . en . 2024-06-02 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240602083947/https://www.thrillist.com/travel/nation/kellie-gerardi-travel-tips . live .
  33. Web site: NASA Astrobiology . 2021-05-26 . astrobiology.nasa.gov . en-EN.
  34. Web site: Chelsea Gohd . 2021-06-05 . Virgin Galactic to launch science communicator and researcher to space . 2024-06-02 . Space.com . en . 2024-06-02 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240602083945/https://www.space.com/virgin-galactic-flight-kellie-gerardi-astronaut . live .
  35. Web site: 2021-05-05 . Kellie Gerardi's Exciting Announcement . 2021-05-26 . Mango Publishing . en-US . 2024-09-14 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240914172439/https://mangopublishinggroup.com/kellie-gerardis-exciting-announcement/ . live .
  36. Web site: Davis Smith . Jamie . 2023-11-28 . She's an astronaut and mom who wore friendship bracelets into space. Here's how Kellie Gerardi makes it work. . 2024-06-02 . Yahoo Life . en-US . 2024-06-02 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240602083948/https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/shes-an-astronaut-and-mom-who-wore-friendship-bracelets-into-space-heres-how-kellie-gerardi-makes-it-work-213909109.html . live .
  37. Web site: We Spoke To Astronauts About How Space Tourism Will Change Life Here On Earth . 2024-06-02 . The Suitest . en-US . 2024-06-02 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240602180523/https://thesuitest.com/magazine/we-spoke-to-astronauts-about-how-space-tourism-will-change-life-here-on-earth . live .

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Kellie Gerardi".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2025, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.