Astronaut Kellie Gerardi Shares Her Vision for Her Daughters After Welcoming Baby No. 2
When commercial astronaut and payload specialist Kellie Gerardi talks about the future, she isn't just thinking about spaceflight trajectories or scientific milestones. She's thinking about her daughters.
Fresh off the birth of her second daughter, Maxie Quinn, Gerardi is now a mother of two. "Max Q" joins her big sister Delta in a household where curiosity, ambition, and possibility are part of everyday life. And if there's one thing Gerardi is certain about, it's the kind of world-and mindset-she hopes to help shape for her girls.
Growing Her Family-and Helping Others Do the Same
When Gerardi welcomed "Space Baby" Max Q to the world earlier this month, the birth followed a long and complicated journey with IVF. She spent eight years since the birth of her daughter, Delta, trying to conceive again, but dealing with devastating pregnancy losses.
Max Q came earlier than expected, leaving Gerardi "mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and physically exhausted to [her] core," she shared in her Instagram announcement. But she feels "forever grateful" that she and her family didn't "hit the brakes too soon" on their IVF journey.
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Max Q actually represents "maximum dynamic pressure," which is the point at which a rocket experiences the greatest aerodynamic stress. It represents the balance between increasing speed and decreasing air density-and, as a baby name for an astronaut's daughter, it also represents resilience under pressure and, ultimately, a critical turning point.
Gerardi understands all too well how challenging and isolating the IVF journey can be-not just on the mind and body, but also on the pockets. And that's exactly why she partnered with BabyQuest to offer families in need financial aid through IVF grants. Thanks to the generosity of Babylist, which matched Gerardi's donations, they have been able to offer two grants of $15,000, which will fully fund a cycle of IVF.
These grants offer that "critical turning point" for those who dream of growing their own families. For Gerardi, it's a way of honoring the long-awaited birth of her second daughter.
Expanding Possibility
Now with two daughters at home here on Earth, Gerardi wants to set the record straight: Girls can do anything.
"I think more than anything, I want my daughters to grow up with an even bigger sense of possibility than mine ever was," Gerardi tells Parade. "I want them to embrace this one precious life I was so lucky to give them, and to probe the boundaries of their full potential."
That idea-possibility without limits-has been a throughline in Gerardi's own life. From conducting microgravity research to being the 90th woman in world history to actually fly to space, she's built a career that defies traditional categories. It's exactly why she wants her daughters to see identity as expansive rather than restrictive.
"I want them to know that they don't have to choose one version of themselves," she explains. "They can build a life that reflects all of who they are."
That's exactly what Gerardi has done over the course of her own career. But her work has always been about more than personal achievement. Her mission has been deeply rooted in access-who gets to participate in science, and who gets to imagine themselves there.
"I [am] deeply motivated by the idea of opening up access to space for the next generation of scientists," she says.
That drive shows up not just in her research, but in her visibility. Whether she's conducting experiments or speaking publicly, she's acutely aware of the power of representation-especially now, as a mother.
Her inclusion in Mattel's Barbie Dream Team collection brought that message full circle.
"I grew up loving Barbie because she represented possibility," she says. "She wasn't just one thing… I've always been more of a 'D) all of the above' kind of girl. To now be included as a Barbie Role Model is surreal. And every little girl who sees her is part of a generation that will grow up knowing that astronauts can look like her. That a woman can be a scientist, an adventurer, a mother-and still be the kind of person who becomes a Barbie."
Related: Barbie Dream Fest Confirms Astronaut Kellie Gerardi as a Special Guest
Reframing Resilience
Of course, building the life of your dreams may not always be so simple. Gerardi, who shattered many glass ceilings throughout her career, knows that all too well. But she also knows that "you don't have to shrink yourself to fit someone else's picture of what you're supposed to be."
"Instead, you can force society's picture to expand to include you," she says, and that's exactly what she has strived to exemplify.
Her journey hasn't been linear. She's spoken candidly about setbacks, including the emotional and physical toll of IVF, and the long stretches where progress felt invisible.
"It's the difference of seeing opportunities vs. seeing dead ends," she says, "and it's the engine behind the resilience of powering through decades where it feels like nothing happens, and earning the moments where it feels like decades happen."
That mindset-grounded, persistent, forward-moving-is something she hopes to pass on.
Her concept of "functional hope" captures it best. "I no longer think of hope as something tied to outcomes or guarantees," she explains. "It's simply a decision to stay in motion and to keep taking the next step."
Sometimes, she says, taking that next step doesn't seem so confident or brave. But it's rooted in knowing that you're "not quite finished yet."
Part of what has allowed Gerardi to navigate such a demanding, unconventional path is her ability to balance humility with confidence-a duality that she believes is essential. That contradiction, she says, "made all the difference in the world"-or, in her case, the universe.
When teaching girls about STEM, she often shares the story of Mary Somerville, whose groundbreaking interdisciplinary work in the 1800s led to the coining of the word "scientist"-because "man of science" was no longer sufficient.
It's more than a history lesson; it's a challenge.
"Aim to be the reason someone has to create an entirely new word to describe your work and impact," she says. "And build the communities that will support the next person who needs a new word too."
For her daughters, Delta and Maxie Quinn, that kind of legacy won't just be something they learn about. It will be something they grow up seeing modeled every day.
And if Gerardi has her way, they won't just inherit a world of expanded possibilities. They'll help define what comes next.
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This story was originally published April 15, 2026 at 2:33 PM.