Astronaut Kellie Gerardi Welcomes Baby Maxine, Space Inspired Name 

Kellie Gerardi’s next chapter is ready for takeoff. 

The research astronaut welcomed her second baby, a little girl named Maxine Quinn, with husband Steven Baumruk. And just like her sister Delta Victoria, 8, baby Maxine’s name is fit for a space traveler in the making.  

“Mission Success, and Space Baby has a name,” Kellie wrote on Instagram April 6 alongside pictures of her newborn. “So grateful to officially introduce you to our sweet girl, Maxine Quinn. Welcome to the world, Max Q! You’re going to love it here.”

Baby Max’s space-inspired name refers to “the moment of peak mechanical stress on a rocket” when pressure from the surrounding air is at its highest, according to NASA. 

But she’s not the only member of the family with a scientific moniker. After all, Kellie and Steven’s 8-year-old is named after Delta-v, a measure of change in velocity in physics. 

After welcoming Maxine Earthside, Kellie detailed the moment she met her “Space Baby.”