What Astronaut Kellie Gerardi Packs When She Travels—By Airplane or Spaceship
Plus her favorite airplane snack, biggest travel fear, and more.
In this installment, astronaut, researcher, and author Kellie Gerardi tells Jamie Davis Smith about the unexpected accessories she brought on a spaceflight, the sunscreen she always packs when she travels, and her favorite airplane snack when she’s flying Delta.
I recently took my first-ever trip into space on the 2023 Galactic 05 research mission with Virgin Galactic. It was a same-day spaceflight where I conducted three experiments, and I was so concerned about getting the data I needed that I wrote a reminder to myself to look out the window to see Earth. Taking that time allowed me to take in the profundity and preciousness of the experience—and it completely exceeded my expectations. I was in awe.
I packed a number of personal mementos on my first trip to space, but by far the most notable was a stack of friendship bracelets. I'm a Swiftie and thought that it was special to fly to space the same year as Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour, the Barbie movie, and Beyonce’s Renaissance Tour. As I was preparing for my flight, I kept reflecting on the fact that fewer than 100 women have ever flown to space. [Editor’s note: For reference, as of late 2023, 676 people have traveled to space.]
With this in mind, I felt it was important not to tone down my personality or femininity in an attempt to match a picture of what someone else thought a woman in STEM, and in space, should like. I wanted to bring my full self and show my six-year-old daughter Delta that being yourself is always enough—and doing science in space with a wrist full of friendship bracelets was the perfect way for me to pay homage to that.
Space will always be a huge passion of mine, but I have a lot of other interests as well: I just released the second book in my Luna Muna children's picture book series, and I've also been working on a passion project designing space-themed dresses, one of which I debuted while walking in a 2023 New York Fashion Week show.
On top of all of that, I have a full-time career leading Mission Operations at Palantir Technologies that involves a lot of travel. My preferred mode of transportation is a spaceship, obviously, but a regular airplane is second best. No matter how many times I fly, whether by spaceship or airplane, the sensation of taking off into the sky never gets old.
Rapid fire
Window, middle, or aisle seat?
I always choose the window seat! I'm captivated by watching takeoff and landing, no matter how many times I fly.
Pack light or overpack?
I'm a serial overpacker at heart, but I always do my best to fly with a carry-on.
Favorite way to pass time on a plane?
If there's Wi-Fi, I find it really easy to get in the zone and bang out a backlog of email responses. I use flights to try to get to inbox zero, usually while listening to an audiobook.
Biggest travel fear?
A missed connection or lost luggage. I tend to cut it close with connections, and one delay would threaten a domino effect for missing an important event.
Best tip for fighting jet lag?
I haven't yet found a great tip for fighting jet lag, and I usually try to add in an extra day as a buffer when possible. First class or lay-flat seats are often out of my price range, so having an extra day to recover is always something I try to bake into international travel.
Favorite travel snack?
I'm a huge fan of the complimentary Biscoff cookies on Delta Air Lines. I look forward to them in flight.
Go-to drink order on a plane?
I'm a big proponent of hydrating on travel days. I always drink plenty of water on the plane.
Must-have travel items
I always travel with Nuun Hydration tablets that dissolve in my water bottle. I relied on these to stay hydrated during my spaceflight week as well.
My daughter enjoys the magic of Polaroid photos, so we've been traveling with her Fujifilm Instax Mini. I pack it in the carry-on, and when we go through security I just ask for a hand-check of the undeveloped film and camera.
I tend to document a lot of my adventures for social media, so I also travel with this Airstik phone holder that can easily stick to glass or window surfaces.
I'm trying to get better about incorporating sunscreen into my daily routine, so I've been traveling with a travel-sized Supergoop SPF 40 sunscreen. I like it because it's sheer and easy to layer under makeup.
My favorite time-passer is Audible. I have at least three audiobooks going at any given time and it's my favorite way of passing time during boarding and airport connections. Listening to audiobooks also helps motivate me to get out of the hotel and go for a walk when I’m traveling.