Aerospace Engineer, Astronaut & Space Operations Specialist; Mission Specialist on Polaris Dawn; Senior Advisor to the NASA Administrator
Sarah Gillis Biography
Sarah Gillis is an aerospace engineer, astronaut, and space operations specialist recognized for her contributions to commercial human spaceflight. Gillis spent more than a decade as a space operations engineer at SpaceX, where she oversaw astronaut training for NASA and commercial crews flying on the Dragon spacecraft. Raised as a classical violinist, Gillis shifted her focus to aerospace engineering after being mentored by former NASA astronaut and professor Joe Tanner. While studying engineering and dance at the University of Colorado Boulder, she began an internship at SpaceX, working on human-in-the-loop testing of the Dragon spacecraft interior before transitioning to the astronaut training program full-time.
Gillis played a central role in developing SpaceX's astronaut training program, designing mission-specific curricula and leading training for both NASA and commercial astronauts aboard the Dragon spacecraft. She prepared NASA astronauts for the Demo-2 and Crew-1 missions and directly trained the Inspiration4 astronauts, the first all-civilian crew to orbit Earth. Gillis served as the primary trainer for the Inspiration4 crew and as the voice of mission control during launch. She is featured in "COUNTDOWN: Inspiration4 Mission to Space," a five-part Netflix series directed by Emmy Award winner Jason Hehir. Gillis is also an experienced mission control operator, supporting real-time operations for Dragon's cargo resupply missions to and from the International Space Station as a navigation officer and as crew operations and resources engineer (CORE) for crew Dragon missions, the SpaceX equivalent of the NASA CAPCOM role.
Gillis flew as a mission specialist on Polaris Dawn, a spaceflight mission that traveled the farthest within Earth's orbit since Apollo. During the flight, Gillis and the Polaris Dawn crew completed the first spacewalk from Dragon in SpaceX-designed extravehicular activity suits, tested Starlink laser-based communications in space, and conducted nearly 40 scientific experiments. During Polaris Dawn, she became the youngest person to perform a spacewalk and, alongside Anna Menon, set the record for the farthest distance any woman has traveled from Earth.
Gillis brought an artistic dimension to her mission by becoming the first human to play the violin in space, performing John Williams' "Rey's Theme" from "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" aboard the Crew Dragon spacecraft. She collaborated with young musicians from the international El Sistema network. Polaris Dawn released the video "Harmony of Resilience" as part of a partnership with St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and El Sistema USA, supporting music education programs. Gillis has noted that skills from music, particularly the discipline of breaking down complex problems into manageable pieces, translate effectively to the demands of space exploration.
Gillis serves at NASA as a senior advisor to the administrator. Her career bridges engineering, astronaut training, human spaceflight, and the arts, and she is recognized for her insights on human space exploration, interdisciplinary approaches, and advancing scientific and personal boundaries.
Sarah Gillis Videos
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Sarah Gillis is a keynote speaker and industry expert whose speaking topics include Astronaut, Female Leadership, Research & Exploration, Space, STEM, Women in Tech -
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Sarah Gillis is a keynote speaker and industry expert who speaks on a wide range of topics. The estimated speaking fee range to book Sarah Gillis for your event is available upon request. Sarah Gillis generally travels from Hawthorne, CA, USA and can be booked for (private) corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. Similar motivational celebrity speakers are Anna Menon, Kathleen Rubins, Barbara Belvisi, Sarah Begum and Aisha Bowe. Contact All American Speakers for ratings, reviews, videos and information on scheduling Sarah Gillis for an upcoming live or virtual event.
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