Kellie Gerardi
Project PoSSUM
Scientist-Astronaut Candidate
Kellie Gerardi is an aerospace and defense strategist who has supported a number of commercial spaceflight companies, NGO's, and government agencies to accelerate and communicate the progress of the commercial spaceflight industry. Kellie is a Scientist-Astronaut Candidate with Project PoSSUM (Polar Suborbital Science in the Upper Mesosphere), the first suborbital crewed research program, studying the upper atmosphere and how it relates to our understanding of global climate change. Kellie is the Media Specialist for the Commercial Spaceflight Federation, and serves on the Defense Council of the Truman National Security Project. A popular STEM communicator and Mars settlement enthusiast, Kellie has appeared across a broad range of television and print publications, and led a 2014 Explorers Club Flag Expedition to the Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS), a prototype laboratory used by a variety of national space agencies and scientists to conduct analog Martian field research and simulate long-duration spaceflight. Kellie is a dedicated mentor to women in STEM, and committed to improving diversity and equal representation in the space and technology sectors.