{{Short description|American engineer and commercial astronaut (born 1985)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=August 2024}} {{Infobox astronaut | name = Anna Menon | image = NASA astronaut candidate Anna Menon (jsc2025e074865).jpg | caption = Menon in 2025 | alt = An woman in a blue flight suit is sitting in front of US & NASA flags; she is facing the camera with crossed arms and is smiling. | birth_name = Anna Wilhelm | birth_date = {{nowrap|{{birth date and age|1985|12|24}}}} | birth_place = Houston, Texas, U.S. | death_date = | death_place = | education = {{ubl |Texas Christian University (BS) |Duke University (MS)}} | spouse = {{marriage|Anil Menon|October 15, 2016}} | children = 2 | type = SpaceX commercial astronaut<br>NASA astronaut candidate | previous_occupation = Lead Space Operations Engineer at SpaceX | space_time = 4 days, 22 hours, 13 minutes | selection = NASA Group 24 (2025) | missions = Polaris Dawn }} '''Anna Menon''' (née '''Wilhelm'''; born December 24, 1985) is an American engineer and NASA astronaut candidate, formerly 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 a record for women traveling farthest from Earth. She was selected in September 2025 as a member of NASA Astronaut Group 24.
Menon previously worked as a biomedical flight controller at NASA for seven years, overseeing operations at the International Space Station before joining SpaceX and returning to NASA as an astronaut.
== Education == Menon graduated from Texas Christian University in 2008 with a Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics and Spanish.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Washam |first=Delaney |date=May 28, 2024 |title=Arithmetic and Astronauts: Alumna Anna Menon Part of Polaris Dawn Mission |url=https://cse.tcu.edu/stories/posts/anna-menon-arithmetic-and-astronaut.php |access-date=August 12, 2024 |website=Texas Christian University College of Science & Engineering |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=History in the Making: Alumna's Journey Will Be Out of This World |url=https://www.tcu.edu/news/2023/history-in-the-making-alumnas-journey-wil-be-out-of-this-world.php |access-date=August 12, 2024 |website=Texas Christian University |language=en}}</ref> She went on to earn a Master of Science degree in biomedical engineering from Duke University in 2010.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dixon |first=Mandy |date=November 3, 2023 |title=To Infinity and Beyond |url=https://pratt.duke.edu/news/to-infinity-and-beyond/ |access-date=August 12, 2024 |website=Pratt School of Engineering at Duke University |language=en-US}}</ref>
Menon was also a member of the ''Iota Lambda chapter'' of Alpha Chi Omega sorority at Texas Christian University.<ref name="Brown Moore 2023">{{Cite magazine |last=Brown Moore |first=Karlee |date=Winter 2023 |title=Seeking the Heights Out of This World |url=https://issuu.com/alphachiomega/docs/winter_2023_lyre_digital/s/41219905 |access-date=August 12, 2024 |magazine=The Lyre |publisher=Alpha Chi Omega |pages=48–53 |language=en |volume=126 |issue=2}}</ref>
== Career == === NASA flight controller === 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<ref>{{Cite web |last=Talwar |first=Saundarya |date=February 17, 2022 |title=SpaceX Engineer Anna Menon Part of Crew for New Mission Called 'Polaris Dawn' |url=https://www.thequint.com/us-nri-news/space-x-engineer-anna-menon-crew-new-mission-polaris-dawn |access-date=February 18, 2022 |website=TheQuint |language=en}}</ref><ref name="PolarisDawn">{{Cite web |title=Anna Menon |url=https://polarisprogram.com/team/ |access-date=February 16, 2022 |website=Polaris Program |language=en-US}}</ref> including ISS US EVA's 27 and 28.<ref>{{Citation |title=Expedition 41 US Spacewalk EVA 28 October 15 Part 2 |date=October 16, 2014 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-Llh_d8LUI |access-date=March 4, 2022 |language=en}}</ref>
=== SpaceX === Menon joined SpaceX in July 2018 as a Space Operations Engineer. She was promoted to Lead Space Operations Engineer in November 2019.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Anna (Wilhelm) Menon |url=https://www.linkedin.com/in/anna-m-b389b5217/ |access-date=August 26, 2024 |website=LinkedIn}}</ref> In her position, she manages the development of crew operations, ensuring that procedures and protocols are in place for astronauts during their missions.<ref>{{Cite news |date=August 26, 2024 |title=SpaceX's Polaris Dawn mission: Who are the astronauts doing the spacewalk? |url=https://www.reuters.com/technology/space/spacexs-polaris-dawn-mission-who-are-astronauts-doing-spacewalk-2024-08-26/ |work=Reuters}}</ref><ref name="PolarisDawn" /> 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. Shortly after Isaacman returned from space, he 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.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Wattles |first=Jackie |date=August 26, 2024 |title=Meet the 4-person crew spearheading SpaceX's daring Polaris Dawn mission |url=https://www.cnn.com/2024/08/26/science/polaris-dawn-crew-spacex-jared-isaacman/index.html |access-date=August 26, 2024 |work=CNN}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Davenport |first=Christian |date=February 14, 2022 |title=Jared Isaacman, who led the first all-private astronaut mission to orbit, has commissioned 3 more flights from SpaceX |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/02/14/jared-isaacman-polaris-spacex-starship-inspiration4/ |access-date=February 16, 2022 |newspaper=Washington Post |language=en-US |issn=0190-8286}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |title=Meet the crew: SpaceX engineer Anna Menon to be on next space mission announced by Jared Isaacman |url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/magazines/panache/meet-the-crew-spacex-engineer-anna-menon-to-be-on-next-space-mission-announced-by-jared-isaacman/articleshow/89611102.cms |access-date=February 18, 2022 |work=The Economic Times}}</ref>
=== NASA astronaut === Menon was selected in September 2025 as a member of NASA Astronaut Group 24.<ref>{{cite press release |last=Taveau |first=Jessica |date=September 22, 2025 |title=NASA Selects All-American 2025 Class of Astronaut Candidates |url=https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-selects-all-american-2025-class-of-astronaut-candidates/ |website=NASA}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=NASA Astronaut Candidate Anna Menon |url=https://www.nasa.gov/people/nasa-astronaut-candidate-anna-menon/ |access-date=2025-09-23 |website=NASA |language=en-US}}</ref> She is the first candidate selected by NASA to have flown on a private orbital spaceflight prior to joining the NASA Astronaut Corps.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Wall |first=Mike |date=2025-09-23 |title=This new NASA astronaut candidate has already been to space |url=https://www.space.com/space-exploration/human-spaceflight/new-nasa-astronaut-candidate-has-already-been-to-space-anna-menon-spacex-polaris-dawn |access-date=2025-09-23 |website=Space.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Foust |first=Jeff |date=2025-09-22 |title=NASA selects new astronaut class |url=https://spacenews.com/nasa-selects-new-astronaut-class/ |access-date=2025-09-23 |website=SpaceNews |language=en-US}}</ref>
== Personal life == thumb|Anil and Anna Menon at NASA Mission Control Houston Texas to direct ISS US EVA 28 Anna married Anil Menon, who is a NASA astronaut and a former SpaceX employee, on October 15, 2016, in a ceremony in Houston.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Anil & Anna |url=https://registry.theknot.com/anil-menon-anna-wilhelm-october-2016-tx/8525414 |website=The Knot}}</ref> They have two children together.<ref name="Brown Moore 2023" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=Who Is Anna Menon? The SpaceX Engineer Part Of Mission Polaris Dawn |url=https://www.shethepeople.tv/shestars/who-is-anna-menon-spacex/ |access-date=February 16, 2022 |language=en-US}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Petski |first=Denise |date=August 3, 2021 |title=Netflix Greenlights 'Inspiration4' All Civilian Space Mission Docuseries From 'The Last Dance' Team |url=https://deadline.com/2021/08/netflix-countdown-inspiration4-mission-to-space-real-time-docuseries-1234808122/ |publisher=Deadline Hollywood}}</ref> In June of 2024, Anna published ''Kisses from Space'', a children's book that is described as being "the story of a mama dragon coming home from an out-of-this-world adventure and, snuggling her baby dragons close, she tells them of her journey and how she thought of them the entire time."<ref name="Kisses from Space">{{Cite book |last=Menon |first=Anna |title=Kisses from Space |last2=Vasek |first2=Keri |date=June 4, 2024 |publisher=Random House Children's Books |others=Illustrated by Andy Harkness |isbn=9780593811146 |language=en}}</ref> She planned to read the book to her kids while on the spacecraft to remind them that she is always thinking of them. SpaceX shared that a video of her reading the book will be shown to her children live.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Lagatta |first=Eric |date=August 23, 2024 |title=Anna Menon of Polaris Dawn wrote a book for her children. She'll read it to them in orbit |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/3096274723?parentSessionId=Awj4Lb0s%2BnqJfFIB4zsZM%2BM0SeDzeXA4fZef%2FfDeXZE%3D&pq-origsite=summon&accountid=108&sourcetype=Wire%20Feeds |journal=University Wire}}</ref>
==See also== * Polaris program
== References == {{Reflist}}
{{Commons category}}
{{SpaceX}} {{NASA Astronaut Group 24}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Menon, Anna}} Category:Living people Category:American astronauts Category:Astronaut candidates Category:Commercial astronauts Category:SpaceX employee astronauts Category:SpaceX people Category:NASA people Category:Inspiration4 Category:Year of birth missing (living people) Category:American women astronauts Category:21st-century American engineers Category:21st-century American women engineers Category:Engineers from Houston