US space agency NASA has introduced 10 astronaut candidates for its missions to the Moon and Mars, and the team includes Anil Menon, a Lieutenant Colonel in the US Air Force and SpaceX’s first flight surgeon.
Menon is part of the 2021 astronaut class, the first in four years, which has six men and four women, who were introduced to the world by NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. The 10 candidates have been selected out of 12,000 applicants for the coveted job.
We're honored to announce the 2021 class of NASA Astronaut Candidates! Get to know them: https://t.co/NbU6BlaTQK.All 10 of these individuals are taking YOUR #askNASA questions, right here on this thread. What do you want to ask them about becoming a NASA Astronaut? pic.twitter.com/byeGl8yphh
— NASA Astronauts (@NASA_Astronauts) December 6, 2021
Born to Ukrainian and Indian immigrants, Menon helped launch SpaceX’s first humans to space during NASA’s SpaceX Demo-2 mission.
He finished his bachelor’s in neurobiology from Harvard University in 1999 and then went on to get a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from Stanford University in 2004. In 2009, he graduated with a Doctor of Medicine from Stanford Medical School.
Menon has also spent a year in India as a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar to study and support polio vaccination. He joined California Air National Guard and gained experience in wilderness medicine through support for remote adventure races like Racing The Planet.
The 45-year-old worked with NASA before as the crew flight surgeon for various expeditions on the International Space Station. According to his NASA profile, Menon was the first responder during the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, the 2015 earthquake in Nepal, and the 2011 Reno Air Show accident.
He was deployed to Afghanistan for Operation Enduring Freedom and worked for the Himalayan Rescue Association to care for climbers on Mount Everest. Menon was later transferred to the 173rd Fighter Wing for military duty and pursued a residency in aerospace medicine. He has logged in over 1,000 hours as a pilot.
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