Astronaut Reveals Reason She Wears Friendship Bracelets in Space — and Why She Won't Stop (Exclusive)

Friendship bracelets have long been a part of Kellie Gerardi's style, even before she became an astronaut.

When the 35-year-old Jupiter, Florida, native, who's also a huge Taylor Swift fan, learned she was heading to space on the Galactic 05 research mission in November 2023, during the height of the Eras Tour, she was determined to bring her authentic self along.

That's when she had an idea: to bring friendship bracelets with her into space.

"I was only the 90th woman in history to fly to space," Gerardi, who studied at the International Institute for Astronautical Sciences and became a bioastronautics researcher, tells PEOPLE exclusively.

"It became very important to me not to tone down my personality or femininity in an attempt to conform to society's expectations of what a space professional should look like — instead, I wanted to expand that image to include me," she adds.

"At the end of the day, conducting science in space with a wrist full of friendship bracelets was the perfect way for me to embrace those complexities," continues Gerardi, who is also a mom to 6-year-old daughter Delta V.

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In the months leading up to the spaceflight, the astronaut crafted an initial small batch of bracelets with her girlfriends.

When she finally landed in space, with her wrist full of beads, she says nothing could have prepared her for that moment. Looking down at planet Earth with her own eyes, Gerardi recalls being in "absolute awe." 

"I remember looking out the window and realizing that in that moment, I wasn’t currently on the same planet as my baby," she says. "It was mind-bending and profound and I’m still processing it. I don’t know that I’ll ever quite find the words to do it justice."

Since then, most of Gerardi's bracelets from that flight have been given away, but she has made numerous new ones.

"It was also the perfect way for me to do something special for all my girlfriends who have always supported my dreams and who trav -

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eled out to my launch to cheer me on — I was able to trade a space-flown 'Astronaut Era' bracelet with each of them!" she says.

After returning from her mission, Gerardi shared more about her career on TikTok and Instagram. As a response, she says, her friendship bracelet collection has expanded, with people sending her homemade bracelets left and right.

"Some of the bracelets made by my youngest fans are the most special to me," she says. "I'm actually wearing a few right now that were sent to me after my spaceflight with hand-drawn pictures and sweet notes, and I treasure them!"

"It's so important to me that the next generation of girls know that space, sparkle, STEM and sisterhood can all go together," she adds.

Besides their look, Gerardi explains that the bracelets also served a practical purpose during her mission, helping to secure a wire from an SpO2 sensor attached to her left thumb as part of a biomonitoring device she wore underneath her flight suit to collect biometric data.

From a jewelry perspective, she says her main concern was avoiding sharp edges that could cause abrasion during movement. She ensured the bracelets didn't pose a snag risk by taping them together and wearing them under the Velcroed flight suit sleeve.

"I hope people feel empowered to embrace their multitudes and own them proudly, and I hope younger girls see themselves represented in a way that creates a spark of possibility for their own dreams and interests," she says.

"Not even the sky is a limit!" she adds.

Looking ahead, Gerardi is preparing to return to space to lead an all-female second research mission in 2026. But before then she's excited to attend the Eras Tour in Miami in October, which will be her daughter's first-ever concert.

"I'll have a ton of 'astronaut era' friendship bracelets to trade during the show, so it'll be a really fun and full-circle moment for me!" she says.

"I kept one special space-flown 'astronaut era' friendship bracelet that I'd love to send to Taylor one day if the opportunity ever presents itself," she adds.

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