This NASA astronaut has spent years shaping the future of spaceflight. Now he’s finally heading to orbit

Anil Menon discusses his upcoming ISS mission, commercial space stations, and the unanswered medical questions of life in microgravity.

Anil Menon might have the world’s spaciest resume. After several years as a NASA flight surgeon, he became SpaceX’s medical director in 2018, where he authored research on the effects of space on the human body. In 2021, he was selected as a NASA astronaut and has spent the past several years training for his own journey to space. Along the way, he also supported his wife, Anna Menon, who traveled to space on a private mission in 2024 and was herself selected as a NASA astronaut last year.