Christopher E. Gerty
Encyclopedia
Christopher E. Gerty is an American
aerospace engineer who worked on NASA
's Constellation Program. Gerty is an advocate of NASA’s Open Government Initiative
and is a leading voice on the concept of participatory exploration
and collaboration. He has fifteen years of experience working on complex, technology
-intense projects at NASA. Gerty served as an aquanaut
on the NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations 13 (NEEMO 13) crew.
in East Moriches, New York
. His father was an insurance underwriter for Metropolitan Life. Gerty has one younger sister.
Gerty's interest in spaceflight
and NASA began at Gatelot Elementary in Lake Ronkonkoma, New York. His fifth-grade teacher led his class through the investigation of the Challenger accident
in 1986. Gerty's class learned not only about the causes of the accident, but what the space shuttle
did and why humans traveled in space
. To the ten-year-old Gerty, spaceflight seemed like a necessary and noble thing for human
s to do, even if there were some risks.
After that experience in elementary school Gerty dreamed of being an astronaut
when he grew up. Gerty attended Hilton High School near Rochester, New York
, from 1989 to 1990 and New Paltz High School
, New Paltz, New York
, from 1991 to 1993. He took up skiing
while in Rochester and floor
and roller hockey
in New Paltz.
Gerty attended Clarkson University
in Potsdam, New York
, earning a B.S. in Computer Engineering
in 1997. He played intramural ice hockey
while at Clarkson. During his college years Gerty realized that flying in space was not his real goal, but rather helping humans explore and extend their sphere of influence to other worlds. One of the reasons he had chosen Clarkson was that it was part of a Space Grant Consortium that received grants from NASA. Gerty knew that this program only affected graduate students, but that an undergraduate from any school could participate in a NASA cooperative education program. Through Clarkson’s career center he applied for and attained a cooperative education program position at NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston, Texas
, where he worked with programmer
s, pilots
and spaceflight procedure writers. When Gerty finished several co-op tours and graduated, he knew he wanted to work for NASA, and accepted a job offer at JSC as a flight controller
.
in 1997; and Payloads Flight Controller from 1998 to 2001. He served as Extravehicular Activity (EVA or spacewalk) Flight Controller and Crew Trainer in the EVA Systems group in Mission Operations from 2001 to 2006. In that position he taught astronauts how to keep themselves alive and comfortable enough to perform their tasks while doing a spacewalk, or EVA. As part of this job he performed a simulated EVA in a NASA spacesuit at the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory
. After "spacewalking" underwater, he had a new appreciation for the difficulty of the construction of the International Space Station
(ISS) and the skills of the astronauts who performed ISS construction.
After his time in the EVA group, in 2006 Gerty became a Constellation Program Systems Integration Engineer, helping plan for lunar missions. He worked with a group defining requirements for what humans need to live and work on the surface of the Moon
. The planning covered not only short missions like those of the Apollo program, but long-term missions taking up half a year or more, and covered not only EVAs, but solving the problems of habitation and physiological
problems as well. To do this, the group examined the past Apollo missions, long-duration Expeditions to the ISS, and "spaceflight analog missions
" like NEEMO
, which in many ways simulate a mission to the Moon. In Gerty's words: "NASA has questions like, 'What is the best way for robot
s and humans to work together on the lunar or Martian
surface?', or 'How much room do astronauts need to live and work in 1/6 of the Earth
’s gravity, compared to the zero-gravity on the ISS?'"
In August 2007, Gerty served as Mission Specialist
#3 during the NEEMO 13 project, an exploration research mission held in Aquarius
, the world's only undersea research laboratory
. He served as a liaison for the Constellation Program, living underwater for ten days to study the effects of long-duration spaceflight and test lunar and Martian exploration concepts. Gerty wrote:
Since 2010, Gerty has been an Open Government Analyst at NASA. He has a blog
located at http://open.nasa.gov/blog/author/cgerty/.
, a chemical engineer
whom he met while in college. They have two German Shepherds and a cat
. Gerty's hobbies include bicycling, photography
, computer
s, ice hockey
, astronomy
, camping
and travel
ing. He is a member of the American Astronautical Society
and has taken part in Random Hacks of Kindness
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
aerospace engineer who worked on NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
's Constellation Program. Gerty is an advocate of NASA’s Open Government Initiative
Open Government Initiative
The Open Government Initiative is an effort by the administration of President of the United States Barack Obama to "creating an unprecedented level of openness in Government." . The directive starting this initiative was issued on January 20, 2009, Obama's first day in office.The philosophy of the...
and is a leading voice on the concept of participatory exploration
Exploration
Exploration is the act of searching or traveling around a terrain for the purpose of discovery of resources or information. Exploration occurs in all non-sessile animal species, including humans...
and collaboration. He has fifteen years of experience working on complex, technology
Technology
Technology is the making, usage, and knowledge of tools, machines, techniques, crafts, systems or methods of organization in order to solve a problem or perform a specific function. It can also refer to the collection of such tools, machinery, and procedures. The word technology comes ;...
-intense projects at NASA. Gerty served as an aquanaut
Aquanaut
An Aquanaut is any individual who remains underwater, exposed to the ambient pressure, long enough to come into equilibrium with his or her breathing media. Usually this is done in an underwater habitat on the seafloor for a period equal to or greater than 24 continuous hours without returning to...
on the NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations 13 (NEEMO 13) crew.
Education
Gerty was born on Long IslandLong Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
in East Moriches, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. His father was an insurance underwriter for Metropolitan Life. Gerty has one younger sister.
Gerty's interest in spaceflight
Spaceflight
Spaceflight is the act of travelling into or through outer space. Spaceflight can occur with spacecraft which may, or may not, have humans on board. Examples of human spaceflight include the Russian Soyuz program, the U.S. Space shuttle program, as well as the ongoing International Space Station...
and NASA began at Gatelot Elementary in Lake Ronkonkoma, New York. His fifth-grade teacher led his class through the investigation of the Challenger accident
Space Shuttle Challenger disaster
The Space Shuttle Challenger disaster occurred on January 28, 1986, when Space Shuttle Challenger broke apart 73 seconds into its flight, leading to the deaths of its seven crew members. The spacecraft disintegrated over the Atlantic Ocean, off the coast of central Florida at 11:38 am EST...
in 1986. Gerty's class learned not only about the causes of the accident, but what the space shuttle
Space Shuttle
The Space Shuttle was a manned orbital rocket and spacecraft system operated by NASA on 135 missions from 1981 to 2011. The system combined rocket launch, orbital spacecraft, and re-entry spaceplane with modular add-ons...
did and why humans traveled in space
Space
Space is the boundless, three-dimensional extent in which objects and events occur and have relative position and direction. Physical space is often conceived in three linear dimensions, although modern physicists usually consider it, with time, to be part of a boundless four-dimensional continuum...
. To the ten-year-old Gerty, spaceflight seemed like a necessary and noble thing for human
Human
Humans are the only living species in the Homo genus...
s to do, even if there were some risks.
After that experience in elementary school Gerty dreamed of being an astronaut
Astronaut
An astronaut or cosmonaut is a person trained by a human spaceflight program to command, pilot, or serve as a crew member of a spacecraft....
when he grew up. Gerty attended Hilton High School near Rochester, New York
Rochester, New York
Rochester is a city in Monroe County, New York, south of Lake Ontario in the United States. Known as The World's Image Centre, it was also once known as The Flour City, and more recently as The Flower City...
, from 1989 to 1990 and New Paltz High School
New Paltz High School
New Paltz Central High School is situated in the town of New Paltz in upstate New York, on South Putt Corners Road. It educates students in grades 9-12 from the New Paltz Central School District, which serves most of New Paltz and Gardiner, New York, as well as parts of several other adjacent...
, New Paltz, New York
New Paltz, New York
New Paltz is a town in Ulster County, New York, USA. The population was 14,003 at the 2010 census. The town is located in the southeastern part of the county and is south of Kingston, New York. New Paltz contains a village also with the name New Paltz...
, from 1991 to 1993. He took up skiing
Skiing
Skiing is a recreational activity using skis as equipment for traveling over snow. Skis are used in conjunction with boots that connect to the ski with use of a binding....
while in Rochester and floor
Floor hockey
Floor hockey is a family of indoor hockey games, usually in the style of ice hockey, that are played on flat floor surfaces, such as a basketball court. As in other hockey codes, players on each team attempt to shoot a ball or puck into a goal using sticks, usually with a curved end...
and roller hockey
Roller hockey
Roller Hockey is a form of hockey played on a dry surface using skates with wheels. The term "Roller Hockey" is often used interchangeably to refer to two variant forms chiefly differentiated by the type of skate used. There is traditional "Roller Hockey," played with quad roller skates, and...
in New Paltz.
Gerty attended Clarkson University
Clarkson University
-The Clarkson School:The Clarkson School, a special division of Clarkson University, was founded in 1978 as a unique educational opportunity. The School offers students an early entrance opportunity into college, replacing the typical senior year of high school with a year of college...
in Potsdam, New York
Potsdam, New York
Potsdam, New York relates to two locations in Saint Lawrence County, New York:*Potsdam , New York*Potsdam , New York, in the town of Potsdam; site of the State University of New York at Potsdam...
, earning a B.S. in Computer Engineering
Computer engineering
Computer engineering, also called computer systems engineering, is a discipline that integrates several fields of electrical engineering and computer science required to develop computer systems. Computer engineers usually have training in electronic engineering, software design, and...
in 1997. He played intramural ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
while at Clarkson. During his college years Gerty realized that flying in space was not his real goal, but rather helping humans explore and extend their sphere of influence to other worlds. One of the reasons he had chosen Clarkson was that it was part of a Space Grant Consortium that received grants from NASA. Gerty knew that this program only affected graduate students, but that an undergraduate from any school could participate in a NASA cooperative education program. Through Clarkson’s career center he applied for and attained a cooperative education program position at NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston, Texas
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
, where he worked with programmer
Programmer
A programmer, computer programmer or coder is someone who writes computer software. The term computer programmer can refer to a specialist in one area of computer programming or to a generalist who writes code for many kinds of software. One who practices or professes a formal approach to...
s, pilots
Aviator
An aviator is a person who flies an aircraft. The first recorded use of the term was in 1887, as a variation of 'aviation', from the Latin avis , coined in 1863 by G. de la Landelle in Aviation Ou Navigation Aérienne...
and spaceflight procedure writers. When Gerty finished several co-op tours and graduated, he knew he wanted to work for NASA, and accepted a job offer at JSC as a flight controller
Flight controller
Flight controllers are personnel who aid in the operations of a space flight, working in Mission Control Centers such as NASA's Mission Control Center, or ESA's Operations Center. Flight controllers sit at computer consoles and use telemetry to monitor in real time various technical aspects of a...
.
NASA career
Gerty's NASA experience includes positions as Robotics Division Engineering Co-op from 1996 to 1998; Aircraft Operations Co-op Engineer at Ellington FieldEllington Field
Ellington International Airport is a joint civil-military airport located in the U.S. state of Texas within the city of Houston— southeast of Downtown. Established by the Army Air Service on 21 May 1917, Ellington Field was one of the initial World War I Army Air Service installations when...
in 1997; and Payloads Flight Controller from 1998 to 2001. He served as Extravehicular Activity (EVA or spacewalk) Flight Controller and Crew Trainer in the EVA Systems group in Mission Operations from 2001 to 2006. In that position he taught astronauts how to keep themselves alive and comfortable enough to perform their tasks while doing a spacewalk, or EVA. As part of this job he performed a simulated EVA in a NASA spacesuit at the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory
Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory
The Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory is an astronaut training facility maintained by and located at the Sonny Carter Training Facility on NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. The NBL consists of a large indoor pool of water, the largest in the world, in which astronauts may perform simulated...
. After "spacewalking" underwater, he had a new appreciation for the difficulty of the construction of the International Space Station
International Space Station
The International Space Station is a habitable, artificial satellite in low Earth orbit. The ISS follows the Salyut, Almaz, Cosmos, Skylab, and Mir space stations, as the 11th space station launched, not including the Genesis I and II prototypes...
(ISS) and the skills of the astronauts who performed ISS construction.
After his time in the EVA group, in 2006 Gerty became a Constellation Program Systems Integration Engineer, helping plan for lunar missions. He worked with a group defining requirements for what humans need to live and work on the surface of the Moon
Moon
The Moon is Earth's only known natural satellite,There are a number of near-Earth asteroids including 3753 Cruithne that are co-orbital with Earth: their orbits bring them close to Earth for periods of time but then alter in the long term . These are quasi-satellites and not true moons. For more...
. The planning covered not only short missions like those of the Apollo program, but long-term missions taking up half a year or more, and covered not only EVAs, but solving the problems of habitation and physiological
Physiology
Physiology is the science of the function of living systems. This includes how organisms, organ systems, organs, cells, and bio-molecules carry out the chemical or physical functions that exist in a living system. The highest honor awarded in physiology is the Nobel Prize in Physiology or...
problems as well. To do this, the group examined the past Apollo missions, long-duration Expeditions to the ISS, and "spaceflight analog missions
Human analog missions
Human analog missions are activities undertaken on Earth in various environments to simulate aspects of human missions to other worlds, including the Moon, asteroids, and Mars. These remote field tests are performed in locations that are identified based on their physical similarities to the...
" like NEEMO
NEEMO
NEEMO, an acronym for NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations, is a NASA program for studying human survival in the Aquarius underwater laboratory in preparation for future space exploration....
, which in many ways simulate a mission to the Moon. In Gerty's words: "NASA has questions like, 'What is the best way for robot
Robot
A robot is a mechanical or virtual intelligent agent that can perform tasks automatically or with guidance, typically by remote control. In practice a robot is usually an electro-mechanical machine that is guided by computer and electronic programming. Robots can be autonomous, semi-autonomous or...
s and humans to work together on the lunar or Martian
Mars
Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun in the Solar System. The planet is named after the Roman god of war, Mars. It is often described as the "Red Planet", as the iron oxide prevalent on its surface gives it a reddish appearance...
surface?', or 'How much room do astronauts need to live and work in 1/6 of the Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
’s gravity, compared to the zero-gravity on the ISS?'"
In August 2007, Gerty served as Mission Specialist
Mission Specialist
A Mission Specialist is a position held by certain NASA astronauts during Space Shuttle missions. A Mission Specialist is assigned to a limited field of the mission, such as for medical experiments or technical quests....
#3 during the NEEMO 13 project, an exploration research mission held in Aquarius
Aquarius (laboratory)
The NOAA Aquarius Reef Base is an underwater habitat located in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, adjacent to Conch Reef. It is one of the few underwater research facilities in the world dedicated to science...
, the world's only undersea research laboratory
Underwater habitat
Underwater habitats are underwater structures in which people can live for extended periods and carry out most of the basic human functions of a 24-hour day, such as working, resting, eating, attending to personal hygiene, and sleeping...
. He served as a liaison for the Constellation Program, living underwater for ten days to study the effects of long-duration spaceflight and test lunar and Martian exploration concepts. Gerty wrote:
Spacewalks are very analogous to divingUnderwater divingUnderwater diving is the practice of going underwater, either with breathing apparatus or by breath-holding .Recreational diving is a popular activity...
in the oceanOceanAn ocean is a major body of saline water, and a principal component of the hydrosphere. Approximately 71% of the Earth's surface is covered by ocean, a continuous body of water that is customarily divided into several principal oceans and smaller seas.More than half of this area is over 3,000...
. In both situations you need a supply of oxygenOxygenOxygen is the element with atomic number 8 and represented by the symbol O. Its name derives from the Greek roots ὀξύς and -γενής , because at the time of naming, it was mistakenly thought that all acids required oxygen in their composition...
to breathe, relative control of pressurePressurePressure is the force per unit area applied in a direction perpendicular to the surface of an object. Gauge pressure is the pressure relative to the local atmospheric or ambient pressure.- Definition :...
and temperatureTemperatureTemperature is a physical property of matter that quantitatively expresses the common notions of hot and cold. Objects of low temperature are cold, while various degrees of higher temperatures are referred to as warm or hot...
, a means of moving around in a three-dimensional environment, and protection from the hazards... The results [of NEEMO 13] will be used to make us more prepared when it is time to put a few more footprints and tire tracks on the moon, and eventually realize the goal of extending the human race to other planetPlanetA planet is a celestial body orbiting a star or stellar remnant that is massive enough to be rounded by its own gravity, is not massive enough to cause thermonuclear fusion, and has cleared its neighbouring region of planetesimals.The term planet is ancient, with ties to history, science,...
s!
Since 2010, Gerty has been an Open Government Analyst at NASA. He has a blog
Blog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
located at http://open.nasa.gov/blog/author/cgerty/.
Personal life
Gerty is married to Maureen (Smith) Gerty of Saratoga Springs, New YorkSaratoga Springs, New York
Saratoga Springs, also known as simply Saratoga, is a city in Saratoga County, New York, United States. The population was 26,586 at the 2010 census. The name reflects the presence of mineral springs in the area. While the word "Saratoga" is known to be a corruption of a Native American name, ...
, a chemical engineer
Chemical engineer
In the field of engineering, a chemical engineer is the profession in which one works principally in the chemical industry to convert basic raw materials into a variety of products, and deals with the design and operation of plants and equipment to perform such work...
whom he met while in college. They have two German Shepherds and a cat
Cat
The cat , also known as the domestic cat or housecat to distinguish it from other felids and felines, is a small, usually furry, domesticated, carnivorous mammal that is valued by humans for its companionship and for its ability to hunt vermin and household pests...
. Gerty's hobbies include bicycling, photography
Photography
Photography is the art, science and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film...
, computer
Computer
A computer is a programmable machine designed to sequentially and automatically carry out a sequence of arithmetic or logical operations. The particular sequence of operations can be changed readily, allowing the computer to solve more than one kind of problem...
s, ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
, astronomy
Astronomy
Astronomy is a natural science that deals with the study of celestial objects and phenomena that originate outside the atmosphere of Earth...
, camping
Camping
Camping is an outdoor recreational activity. The participants leave urban areas, their home region, or civilization and enjoy nature while spending one or several nights outdoors, usually at a campsite. Camping may involve the use of a tent, caravan, motorhome, cabin, a primitive structure, or no...
and travel
Travel
Travel is the movement of people or objects between relatively distant geographical locations. 'Travel' can also include relatively short stays between successive movements.-Etymology:...
ing. He is a member of the American Astronautical Society
American Astronautical Society
Formed in 1954, the American Astronautical Society is an independent scientific and technical group in the United States dedicated to the advancement of space science and exploration. AAS supports NASA's Vision for Space Exploration and is a member of the Coalition for Space Exploration and the...
and has taken part in Random Hacks of Kindness
Random Hacks of Kindness
Random Hacks of Kindness is a joint initiative between Microsoft, Google, Yahoo!, NASA, and the World Bank. The objective is to bring together subject matter experts around disaster management and crisis response with volunteer software developers and designers in order to create solutions that...
.