She was often told she would have to choose between motherhood and her scientific career, but Kellie Gerardi decided to have it both ways. Just eight weeks after giving birth to her daughter, she returned to her post in the confined confines of the space shuttles. The astronaut, the 90th woman to have flown into orbit, is a pioneer: she expressed breast milk in zero gravity to advance research. A symbolic achievement for this mother, who has truly found her place among the stars.<\/p>\n
It's an image that went viral on social media, reaching 3.5 million people worldwide. It shows an astronaut levitating, her breast pump bags floating and displaying her daily milk collection. With a smile on her face and her navy spacesuit proudly on display, Kellie Gerardi has achieved another feat in her illustrious career, and this one feels like a personal victory.<\/p>\n
Just eight weeks ago, the seasoned astronaut, who even has a Barbie doll in her likeness, was in the maternity ward celebrating the birth of her daughter. On cloud nine since the arrival of this child, conceived through IVF and whom she considers a gift from heaven, the astronaut wasted no time in returning to her duties in space.<\/p>\n
During her postpartum period, a trying time for many women, she spent at the controls of a spacecraft in microgravity. Part of the "numerical minority" in the space sector, which boasts only 85 women out of 644 astronauts, she has left an indelible mark on history. The quote "to infinity and beyond"<\/em> seems to have become synonymous with her.<\/p>\n This woman defies the laws of gravity, but also those of an entire industry that often demands sacrifices and requires women to choose between family life and childhood dreams. "I sincerely sympathize with women who feel obligated to return to work before they are ready, but that's not my case,"<\/em> she argues in a post about her "spaceship, work, crib"<\/em> lifestyle. <\/p>\n\n