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A most improbable astronaut just went to space
“I pretty much, at that point in time, gave up on being an astronaut.”
TL;DR
- Anil Menon applied to be a NASA astronaut four times and was rejected at the final stage each time.
- He transitioned to SpaceX as a flight surgeon, playing a key role in the Demo-2 mission and managing the company's pandemic response.
- Menon successfully applied to NASA again in his early 40s and was selected as an astronaut.
- His wife, Anna Menon, also pursued a career in spaceflight, working at SpaceX and flying on the Inspiration4 and Polaris Dawn missions before being selected as a NASA astronaut.
- Anil Menon recently launched into space on a Soyuz vehicle, fulfilling his lifelong dream.