Garrett Reisman
An astronaut who lived aboard the International Space Station and now helps shape the next era of human spaceflight from the ground.
Born 1968 (age 58)·American engineer and former NASA astronaut·Birthday: February 10·Generation X
Biography
Garrett Reisman's journey from New Jersey to the stars is a testament to focused ambition. With a doctorate in mechanical engineering, he joined NASA in 1998, trading academic theory for the ultimate practical application. His first spaceflight in 2008 wasn't a short visit; he moved in, becoming a crew member of Expedition 16 and 17 and spending over three months living and working on the International Space Station. He returned to orbit in 2010 aboard the Space Shuttle Atlantis's final scheduled flight. After leaving NASA, Reisman didn't step away from the frontier. He became a crucial link between NASA and the commercial space industry, first as a SpaceX executive helping to certify the Crew Dragon spacecraft for human flight, and later as a professor at USC, molding the engineers and astronauts of tomorrow.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Garrett was born in 1968, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Garrett Was Born
The biggest hits of 1968
#1 Movie
2001: A Space Odyssey
Best Picture
Oliver!
#1 TV Show
The Andy Griffith Show
Garrett's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1968Born
Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy assassinated
Gas: $0.34/galHome: $14,950Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Hey Jude" — The BeatlesBest Picture: Oliver!
1973Started school
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1981Became a teenager
MTV launches; first Space Shuttle flight; AIDS identified
Gas: $1.31/galHome: $52,300Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Bette Davis Eyes" — Kim CarnesBest Picture: Chariots of Fire
1984Could drive
Apple Macintosh introduced
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $59,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"When Doves Cry" — PrinceBest Picture: Amadeus
1986Could vote
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1989Turned 21
Berlin Wall falls; Tiananmen Square protests
Gas: $1.00/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Look Away" — ChicagoBest Picture: Driving Miss Daisy
1998Turned 30
Google founded; Clinton impeachment
Gas: $1.06/galHome: $107,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Too Close" — NextBest Picture: Shakespeare in Love
2008Turned 40
Barack Obama elected first Black US president; financial crisis
Gas: $3.27/galHome: $153,100Min wage: $6.55/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Low" — Flo RidaBest Picture: Slumdog Millionaire
2018Turned 50
Royal wedding of Harry and Meghan; Parkland shooting
Gas: $2.72/galHome: $211,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"God's Plan" — DrakeBest Picture: Green Book
2026Age 58 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Served as a flight engineer aboard the International Space Station for over 95 days during Expeditions 16 and 17.
- Was a crew member on STS-132, the final scheduled flight of the Space Shuttle Atlantis.
- Played a key role in the development and certification of SpaceX's Crew Dragon spacecraft as a company executive.
- Awarded NASA's Exceptional Service Medal for his contributions to human spaceflight.
Did You Know?
He was the first Jewish crew member to live aboard the International Space Station.
Reisman famously proposed to his girlfriend, fellow astronaut Simone LeGendre, via a video call from the ISS.
He voiced himself in an episode of the television show 'The Big Bang Theory'.
He performed a spacewalk during the STS-132 mission to install a spare antenna on the ISS.
“From space, you don't see borders. You see this beautiful, fragile planet, and it really hits home that we're all in this together.”
