User talk:Toa Nidhiki05 (Work)/Kellie Gerardi

Proposal

Hey all, I have been working on a potential rework of this page. The goal here is to remove some information that is inaccurate or a violation of policy, to clarify inaccurate claims about the specific scientific projects Gerardi has worked on, and to generally improve and expand upon content overall. You can find the full rework here. Full disclosure: Kellie Gerardi has paid me to look at this page.

Changes to content that violates WP:BLP

Research and science communication

• Changed current wording from ("She said she was motivated to democratize space access and monetize space travel.[2]") to ("She said she was motivated to democratize space access,[2] and believes a "tidal wave of scientific research" can come from it.[19]"). In the source, Gerardi did not say her goal is to monetize space travel, so it is a BLP violation to say she did - I included what she has said as an alternative.
• Changed ("She says she wants to use her platform to demonstrate a path toward space industry work that isn't based in traditional science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.[8]") to ("Gerardi “[believes] in the democratization of access to space and the expansion of Earth's economicsphere”,[5] for "researchers to use space as a laboratory to benefit humanity",[26] and advocates for “the science and engineering of space exploration.[27]"). The original content is a BLP violation, as Gerardi did not say what Wikipedia says, and the cited source doesn't say it, either. I've provided additional sources that more accurately describe her views in her own words.

Changes to content that is inaccurate

Research and science communication

• Removed claim that she met Richard Garriott while working coat check; this is not in either source cited.
• Reworded section on Mars One to clarify that she was accepted as a candidate before it became bankrupt, not after.
• Clarified Project POSSUM and related section; the current wording incorrectly says the program is designed to "train citizen astronauts", but it doesn't actually teach about spaceflight; it also lasts longer than 5 days, and the price isn't exactly relevant to Gerardi.
• Changed ("On November 2, 2023, Gerardi flew the one-hour sub-orbital spaceflight operated by the space tourism company Virgin Galactic, Galactic 05, as a citizen scientist doing commercial research") to ("On November 2, 2023, Gerardi flew the sub-orbital spaceflight operated by Virgin Galactic, Galactic 05, as a payload specialist doing scientific research.[20]"). While Virgin Galactic is a space tourism company, this was a research flight committed with several experiments conducted onboard.
• Corrected the technical details of the experiments in the paragraph after; the existing explanations do not accurately describe the nature of the experiments that were conducted onboard.
• Added a new section ("In June 2024, Virgin Galactic announced Gerardi as a crew member on a second research spaceflight scheduled for as early as 2026 aboard the Company’s Delta Class spaceship. The mission is designed to enable IIAS to introduce new research while also expanding upon the results from the Galactic 05 mission.[17] Gerardi will be leading an all-female, international research space flight crew from IIAS.[23]") on a future spaceflight Gerardi will be on, sourced to reliable news outlets.
• Changed ("Gerardi is a popular TikTok influencer") to ("Gerardi is a popular science communicator"); while the source in question's title does indeed call her a TikTok influencer, the article body calls her a science influencer, another refer to her as a science communicator.

Career

• Changed ("In 2012, she joined the Commercial Spaceflight Federation, a commercial spaceflight lobbyist, as a media specialist and copywriter.[3][6]") to ("In 2012, she joined the Commercial Spaceflight Federation, a U.S. trade association for commercial spaceflight.[4][6]"). Gerardi says she is not a copywriter and never has been, and the source in question is inaccurate.
• Changed ("From 2014 to 2020, Girardi worked in business development at Masten Space Systems.[3]") to ("Gerardi also worked in business development at Masten Space Systems.[4]"); the timeline presented in the article is not accurate. Gerardi says she worked at Masten over a different span of time.
• Removed "as a customer support analyst"; Gerardi has never been one, and the source doesn't say she was.
• Removed the bit about Gotham; Gerardi does not work for Gotham, and she has no connection to immigration policy at any level.
• Added ("Gerardi currently serves as the Director of Human Spaceflight Operations for IIAS.[37]") her current position at IIAS.

Other changes

• Combining the Education section with the Personal Life section, including greater detail on her specific research background ("In 2016, Gerardi joined the International Institute for Astronautical Sciences and specialized in bioastronautics research and spacesuit research."
• Combining career with citizen science and science communication sections
• Split paragraph on MDRS to make it clear that was not tied to Mars One.
• Trimmed section on PopSci interview ("In 2015, she wrote an essay in Popular Mechanics..."), which oddly focused on tarantulas instead of the actual research.
• Added content about her role "Gerardi currently serves as the Director of Human Spaceflight Operations for IIAS.[17] The program conducts bioastronautics research and space-suit technology development.[18])
• Added content to the section on Luna Munda ("The book was read from the International Space Station by Axiom Mission 3 Commander Peggy Whitson,[35] and was featured in the First Lady’s Reading Nook at the 2024 White House Easter Egg Roll.[36]")

Discussion

I'm opening this to discuss these changes before any are made. The BLP violations are high-priority issues that should be resolved quickly, but I am open to discussing any and all potential changes here.