Kellie Gerardi

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Kellie Gerardi (born February 16, 1989)[1] is an American social media influencer who is known for her sub-orbital spaceflight with Virgin Galactic as a citizen scientist testing a smart garment that monitors vital signs.

Education[edit]

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 then studied documentary film making at Barnard College and transferred to New York University (NYU). She graduated from NYU in 2011 with a degree in film.[2][4]

In 2017,[5] Gerardi joined a private education and research facility in Denver called the International Institute for Astronautical Sciences (IIAS) that uses Florida Institute of Technology for accreditation.[6] Girardi completed a called "Project PoSSUM," which consists of a five-day course and online webinars that costs more than $20,000 and says it trains citizen astronauts.[7][5][2] She said she was motivated to democratize space access and monetize space travel.[2]

Career[edit]

In 2012, She joined Commercial Spaceflight Federation, a commercial spaceflight lobbyist, as a media specialist and copywriter. After meeting Richard Garriott while working coat check at The Explorers Club, she decided to join.[5][8]

From 2014 to 2020, Girardi worked in business development at Masten Space Systems.[5]

In 2014, after she was accepted into the Mars One mission, a bankrupt organization that planned to colonize Mars using citizen astronauts as a reality television show,[9][10] she spent two months training as a crew member at the Mars Desert Research Station.[5]

In 2015, she began working with Palantir Technologies.[2] She is a missions operations lead.[11]

In 2020, Mango Publishing published her memoir, Not Necessarily Rocket Science: A Beginner's Guide To Life in the Space Age.[12][3][13]

In 2021, Gerardi partnered with NASA to host the first all-female episode of NASA Science Live during Women's History Month.[14]

In 2021 and 2023, she walked in New York Fashion Week shows, wearing her navy space suit[15] and a space-themed dress she designed, respectively.[16]

On November 2, 2023, Gerardi flew on Galactic 05, a sub-orbital spaceflight operated by the space tourism company Virgin Galactic as a citizen scientist. Onboard, she collected data for three experiments on microgravity healthcare and fluid dynamics developed by the National Research Council. IIAS sponsored her trip.[17] She wore an smart garment called Astroskin that continuously tracked her vitals and a glucose monitor.[11]

Gerardi writes a series of children's books about space called Luna Muna.[18]

Gerardi is a popular TikTok influencer.[5] As of March 2024, she had over 764,000 followers.[19] As of March 2024, she had over 500,000 followers on Instagram.[2]. She has brand partnerships with Land Rover, Sephora, and TJ Maxx.[20][21][22] In 2024, she partnered with Sun Chips.[23]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "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". Kellie Gerardi's Official Instagram. February 16, 2018. Retrieved December 24, 2023.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Staggs, Valerie (2024-03-05). "Reaching for the Stars with Kellie Gerardi". Stuart Magazine. Retrieved 2024-06-02.
  3. ^ a b Bender, Maddie (24 August 2020). "Kellie Gerardi might be the first social media star in space". Inverse. Retrieved 2020-10-20.
  4. ^ Not Necessarily Rocket Science - with author Kellie Gerardi (Interview recording.), The Museum of Flight, Apr 10, 2021, event occurs at 6:22, retrieved 2024-02-13
  5. ^ a b c d e f 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". CNBC. Retrieved 2024-06-02.
  6. ^ "Florida Tech students get a taste of space". The Florida Tech Crimson. 2022-11-16. Retrieved 2024-06-02.
  7. ^ Sciences, International Institute of Astronautical. "The IIAS Astronautical Science Program – International Institute for Astronautical Sciences". Retrieved 2024-06-02.
  8. ^ Glester, Andrew (2020-12-14). "Aspiring astronaut and Space Age ambassador". Physics World.
  9. ^ Seedhouse, Erik (2017). Mars One. Cham: Springer International Publishing. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-44497-0. ISBN 978-3-319-44496-3.
  10. ^ Dickerson, Kelly. "The company planning one-way trips to Mars will 'inevitably fall on its face'". Business Insider. Retrieved 2024-06-02.
  11. ^ a b Dinner, Josh (2023-10-30). "Meet the crew of Virgin Galactic's 5th commercial spaceflight launching on Nov. 2". Space.com. Retrieved 2024-06-02.
  12. ^ published, Chelsea Gohd (2021-06-05). "Virgin Galactic to launch science communicator and researcher to space". Space.com. Retrieved 2024-06-02.
  13. ^ "Kellie Gerardi's Exciting Announcement". Mango Publishing. 2021-05-05. Retrieved 2021-05-26.
  14. ^ "NASA Astrobiology". astrobiology.nasa.gov. Retrieved 2021-05-26.
  15. ^ Gupta, Alisha Haridasani (2021-09-12). "A Fashion Show With an Unexpected Focus: Sexual Assault Survivors". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-06-02.
  16. ^ Smith, Jamie Davis (2024-04-10). "What Astronaut Kellie Gerardi Packs When She Travels—By Airplane or Spaceship". Thrillist. Retrieved 2024-06-02.
  17. ^ Harwood, William (November 2, 2023). "Virgin Galactic launches fifth commercial flight to sub-orbital space and back". CBS News. Retrieved November 27, 2023.
  18. ^ 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". Yahoo Life. Retrieved 2024-06-02.
  19. ^ "@kelliegerardi". TikTok (Profile). Retrieved 2024-02-13.
  20. ^ Range Rover: From Jupiter, With Love (YouTube video), Aug 16, 2022, retrieved 2024-02-13
  21. ^ Stories of Belonging: Aerospace Professional Kellie's Out of This World Dream | Sephora (YouTube video), Mar 4, 2021, retrieved 2024-02-13
  22. ^ Gerardi, Kellie (January 26, 2024). "#ad SO honored to be part of the @TJ Maxx #MaxxYou campaign— we're all so much more than any one label. What are you #MoreThan ? ❤️". TikTok. Retrieved 2024-02-13.
  23. ^ "SunChips Debuts an Ecplise-Inspired Bag of Chips with 2 Flavors In It". Food & Wine. Retrieved 2024-06-02.

External links[edit]

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