Meet Some Out of this World Women Dominating Space

Meet 4 stellar women who are blazing the trail in the next era of human spaceflight – from commercial spaceflight professionals to budding astronauts to spacewalk operations engineers and more! Join moderator Dr. Shawna Pandya in conversation with these incredible Explorers Club members and fellows - Kellie Gerardi, Dr. Tess Caswell, Yvette Gonzalez, and Dr. Erika Wagner as they share their respective journeys, challenges and vision for the future of space.

Join the converstaion and catch them live on explorers.org, The Explorers Club YouTube Channel, and Facebook Live - Thursday, October 14 at 7P ET.

October 14, 2021

By: The Explorers Club

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Photo By: Dr. Marc O’Griofa

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Photo By: c/o Kellie Gerardi

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Dr. Shawna Pandya

Dr. Shawna Pandya is a physician, scientist-astronaut candidate program graduate with the International Institute for Astronautical Sciences (IIAS) and Project PoSSUM, aquanaut, speaker, martial artist, advanced diver, skydiver, pilot-in-training, VP Immersive Medicine with Luxsonic Technologies, Director of Medical Research at Orbital Assembly Corporation, and Fellow of The Explorers Club.

Dr. Shawna Pandya

She is also Director of the IIAS/PoSSUM Space Medicine Group, Chief Instructor of the IIAS/PoSSUM Operational Space Medicine course, and podcast host with the World Extreme Medicine’s WEMCast series. Dr. Pandya was part of the first crew to test a commercial spacesuit in zero-gravity in 2015. Dr. Pandya earned her aquanaut designation during the 2019 NEPTUNE (Nautical Experiments in Physiology, Technology, and Underwater Exploration) mission.

Dr. Shawna Pandya

She previously served as Commander during a 2020 tour at the Mars Desert Research Station. In 2021, Dr. Pandya was granted an Honorary Fellowship in Extreme and Wilderness Medicine by the World Extreme Medicine organization and named one of the Women’s Executive Network’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women in Canada.

Yvette Gonzalez

Yvette Gonzalez is a humanitarian, bioastronautics researcher, spacesuit technician, and human resilience expert. With over 22 years of humanitarian, disaster response, & international development experience rebuilding communities in active war, conflict, natural disasters, and epidemiological outbreaks, Yvette now simultaneously focuses on space technologies that are solving some of Earth’s challenges. She carries out her research at the International Institute for Aeronautical Science (IIAS).

Yvette Gonzalez

Yvette leads three efforts actively working to provide access to space science & STEM for underrepresented groups and marginalized communities. The initiatives focus on young girls and womxn (PoSSUM 13), LGBTQ+ (Out Astronaut), and emerging space nations (Space For All Nations). This includes Indigenous communities. These teams establish mentorship programs connecting rural communities to leaders in the industry, foster collaborations for scientific research, provide access to education, and enable entry points for professionals in marginalized communities to participate in space science and STEM.

Yvette Gonzalez

Of Native American and Mexican heritage, she is a member of the American Indian Science and Engineering Society as well as the Society for Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science, Lunar Exploratory Analysis Group, International Astronautical Federation, Women in International Security, and Women in Aerospace.

Dr. Tess Caswell

Tess Caswell is an engineer, scientist, and analog astronaut driven by passion for human space exploration. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Alaska Fairbanks and a PhD in Geology from Brown University.

Dr. Tess Caswell

She has floated in weightlessness, studied the flow of glaciers, and worked in the control room for government and private space missions.

Dr. Tess Caswell

As a member of the Human Exploration Research Analog (HERA) XI crew, she spent thirty days on a simulated space mission to study the effects of isolation and stress on astronaut crews. She is currently a member of the Extravehicular Activities (EVA) team at NASA Johnson Space Center, where she plans spacewalks and helps prepare the next generation of lunar explorers for the Artemis program.

Kellie Gerardi 

Kellie Gerardi is a bioastronautics researcher, defense professional and popular science communicator. In June 2021, Kellie was announced as a payload specialist and professional commercial astronaut contracted to an upcoming dedicated research spaceflight with Virgin Galactic, during which she'll be conducting healthcare and fluid experiments in space on behalf of the International Institute for Astronautical Sciences (IIAS).

Dr. Erika Wagner

Dr. Erika Wagner serves as Payload Sales Director for Blue Origin, where she works to improve access to space for science, technology, arts, education, and entrepreneurs. Previously, Dr. Wagner worked with the XPRIZE Foundation as Senior Director of Exploration Prize Development and founding Executive Director of the XPRIZE Lab@MIT.

Dr. Erika Wagner

Dr. Wagner’s interdisciplinary background includes degrees in Biomedical and Aerospace Engineering, with research spanning both human and mammalian adaptation to microgravity, partial gravity, and centrifugation; as well as organizational innovation and prize theory. She is a trustee of Seattle’s Museum of Flight, an honoree of the Space Camp Hall of Fame, and a member of the National Academies Space Studies Board.