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Anil Menon might have the world\u2019s spaciest resume. After several years as a NASA flight surgeon, he became SpaceX\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Somewhere in the margins, Menon has also served as an Air Force Reserve member and emergency room doctor.<\/p>\n
Now, he\u2019s finally heading to space himself. This July, Menon will travel to Kazakhstan, where Russia\u2019s space program conducts launches, and join two cosmonauts on the next mission to the International Space Station. He\u2019ll fly aboard the storied Russian Soyuz crew vehicle, which has been used successfully for decades, and is expected to spend eight months aboard the station.<\/p>\n
For years, NASA and Roscosmos, Russia\u2019s space agency, have maintained the practice of placing astronauts and cosmonauts on one another\u2019s missions. One side effect of that arrangement, and of the modern space age more broadly, is that Menon brings an unusually expansive perspective on life in space, with experience spanning NASA, Russia\u2019s space program, and SpaceX, as well as a firsthand view of NASA\u2019s distinct institutional role.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\u201cNASA kind of bridges the gap between some of these different cultures and synthesizes it,\u201d he says. \u201cAs we look at the moon, everyone is going to pursue that as well. I think that NASA is this great synergy for all of that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fast Company<\/em> spoke with Menon about his upcoming mission, the future of commercial space stations, and the biggest unanswered questions surrounding microgravity\u2019s effects on the human body. This interview has been edited for clarity and length.<\/p>\n