Anil Menon (NASA astronaut)

Anil Menon (born August 20, 1977) is an Indian-American physician and NASA astronaut. He was selected as part of NASA Astronaut Group 23 in 2021 and is currently undergoing astronaut training.

Menon's background is in emergency medicine and aerospace medicine. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in neurobiology from Harvard University, a Master's in mechanical engineering from Stanford University, and a Doctor of Medicine from Stanford Medical School. During his medical training, he worked with wilderness search and rescue organizations.

Prior to his selection as an astronaut, Menon worked as a SpaceX flight surgeon, supporting the company's commercial crew program. He also served as the crew surgeon for several NASA expeditions to the International Space Station (ISS). In this capacity, he was responsible for the health and medical care of astronauts in orbit.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Menon took a leave of absence from SpaceX to provide medical care in emergency rooms.

As a NASA astronaut candidate, Menon is training in a variety of skills, including spacewalking, robotics, spacecraft systems, and survival techniques. He is eligible for future spaceflight assignments, potentially including missions to the International Space Station, the Moon as part of the Artemis program, or eventually, Mars.