Anna Menon facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Anna Menon
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| Born |
Anna Wilhelm
December 24, 1985 Houston, Texas, U.S.
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| Education | |
| Occupation | Lead Space Operations Engineer at SpaceX |
| Spouse(s) |
Anil Menon
(m. 2016) |
| Children | 2 |
| Space career | |
| SpaceX Commercial Astronaut | |
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Time in space
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4 days, 22 hours, 13 minutes |
| Missions | Polaris Dawn |
Anna Menon (née Wilhelm; born December 24, 1985) is an American engineer employed by SpaceX as lead space operations and a mission director. She flew on Polaris Dawn, a private human spaceflight mission operated by SpaceX on behalf of Jared Isaacman. During the September 2024 mission, she served as the onboard medical officer and, along with Sarah Gillis, set the record for women traveling farthest from Earth.
Menon previously worked as a biomedical flight controller at NASA for six years, overseeing operations at the International Space Station before joining SpaceX.
Education
Menon graduated from Texas Christian University in 2008 with a Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics and Spanish. She went on to earn a Master of Science degree in biomedical engineering from Duke University in 2010.
Menon was also a member of the Iota Lambda chapter of Alpha Chi Omega sorority at Texas Christian University.
Career
NASA
Menon worked at NASA for seven years, and for six of those years she served as a biomedical flight controller for the International Space Station, assisting ISS crews from NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, and leading biomedical operations for Expedition 41 including ISS US EVA's 27 and 28.
SpaceX
Menon joined SpaceX in July 2018 as a Space Operations Engineer. She was promoted to Lead Space Operations Engineer in November 2019. In her position, she manages the development of crew operations, ensuring that procedures and protocols are in place for astronauts during their missions. She also served in the company's mission control, including during the Demo-2 flight. During Inspiration4, a private spaceflight funded by billionaire Jared Isaacman, she served as technical adviser to the family members of the all-civilian crew, explaining the complexities of spaceflight to loved ones on the ground. Shortly after he returned from space, Isaacman picked Menon to be part of his Polaris Dawn mission. During the mission, Menon served as the on-board medical officer and helped carry out science experiments during the trip.
Personal life
Anna married NASA astronaut Anil Menon on October 15, 2016, in a ceremony in Houston. They have two children together. Both she and her husband appeared in the final episode of the five-episode television documentary entitled Countdown: Inspiration4 Mission to Space, released on Netflix in September 2021.
See also
- Polaris program
