Garrett Reisman

An Astronaut’s View of SpaceX: Lessons Learned From 7 Years of Working for Elon Musk

From humble beginnings in 2002 SpaceX has become a $150 Billion company today that dominates the global rocket launch industry and is the sole American provider of astronaut launches to the International Space Station. Landing rockets on ships and working towards flying humans to Mars, SpaceX has disrupted the entire aerospace industry. How did SpaceX achieve such incredible success? What could SpaceX do even better? And what is Elon Musk really like?

After leaving NASA in 2011, Garrett Reisman began an intense 7-year period in leadership positions at SpaceX, most recently as Director of Space Operations. He will share his insider’s view of the corporate culture, business practices and other keys to SpaceX’s success. And he’ll also tell you what it’s like to ride a rocket into space.

The Recent Past and Near Future of the American Space Program

Drawing upon his multiple Space Shuttle and Space Station missions as a NASA astronaut and his over seven years working for Elon Musk as an executive at SpaceX, Dr. Garrett Reisman will share his lessons learned regarding inspiration, determination, vision, and innovation. Astronaut Reisman has the distinction of being a key player in both the traditional NASA space program and the rapidly expanding commercial space flight industry. Using illuminating and humorous personal stories and an engaging multimedia presentation about both spaceflight past and future, Dr. Reisman will leave you with useful gems of wisdom while keeping you thoroughly entertained. 

Innovation at NASA and SpaceX

Who does it better and why? — As a NASA astronaut and an executive working for Elon Musk at SpaceX, Dr. Garrett Reisman had first-hand experience with two vastly different approaches to innovation, risk management, and decision-making. The freedom to fail is an essential requirement for breakthrough innovation, but how do you fail safely when your goal is to fly people in space? Dr. Reisman will use an engaging multimedia presentation, humorous personal stories, and examples from his 13 years at NASA and 7 years at SpaceX to illustrate the strengths and weaknesses of both approaches. This behind-the-scenes and entertaining look at human spaceflight past and future will provide lessons that you can use for yourself and your organization to increase innovation. 

Remarks for Jewish Audiences

With funny and personal stories, Garrett Reisman will describe his journey from a typical Jewish kid growing up in New Jersey to a NASA Astronaut and a friend of the State of Israel. He will tell you what it was like to launch on the space shuttle, do a spacewalk, see the Earth from space, re-enter the atmosphere, cope with the loss of his friends aboard Columbia, be interviewed by Stephen Colbert, and work for Elon Musk. Dr. Reisman will provide an overview of the significance of being a Jewish Astronaut, compare and contrast the approaches to innovation taken by NASA, SpaceX, and Israeli tech start-ups, and he will give you a behind-the-scenes look at what is coming up next in human spaceflight, a golden new age of exploration that is right around the corner!